Golden light enveloped almost every Skardian on the battlefield as the effects of Fanatical took hold. There was a sudden lull in the fight as the eyes of the Skardians glazed over momentarily before a great roar escaped from every one of them! In a single move, the Skardians became more ferocious and fearless in attempting to breach the city.

Whispers escaped from the fanatical Skardians. Whispers of a single name that almost became a shout of its own, with so many giving voice to the same name. "Exile..."

[Milestone Completed! Followers...]

[Milestone Completed! Followers...]

[Milestone Completed! Followers: 183/200]

[You have been awarded +2 Stat Points]

Exile's eyes went wide as he gained enough permanent new followers to smash through two levels of the Followers Milestone! 'It stopped just short of a third...' he frowned as he looked at the numbers, but he could not help but feel he was being a bit greedy. Of course, the number of new followers did not match the total number of people that had been affected by Fanatical.

These were just the ones that wholeheartedly accepted him right now and would continue to believe in him after the effects wore off. However, at least now the seed of belief had been planted in the others. With time, they might also come around. As Clay and the others looked around in confusion, they spotted Exile and made their way over. Before they could reach him, Exile quickly sunk his two new stat points into Authority.

[Authority of 11 detected. Please select one of the following Spells. Warning! There will be no new subsequent spells offered for Authority Levels over 10 at Tier 0.]

[(Divine) Orosphere: Create a Divine Orb that can mirror your total Authority for a total of ten attacks in the form of orbs. Cost: 5 DP]

[(Divine) Sanctuary: For a radius of 50m with you as the centre, create a Divine dome that will shield all within from Spells and Miracles below your Authority level. Cost: 5 DP]

[(Hearth) Heart of the Hearth: For a radius of 50m with you as the centre, kindle the feeling of home in the hearts of those around you. Players and NPCs heal 5 HP every 5 seconds for 2 minutes.]

Exile frowned as he quickly scanned through the options. 'Last spell before Tier 1?' Unfortunately, this was not the time to take this decision slowly. 'Orosphere is likely what Parthus used. Sanctuary is no use if Parthus and maybe others here have a higher Authority. So, Heart of the Hearth is my best chance at completing this Quest and it's pretty decent anyway.' 

With that thought in mind, Exile made his choice. The information on how to activate Heart of the Hearth rushed into his mind as Clay and the others finally reached him. Exile glanced at them before studying the reaction of the players on the walls. Parthus was glaring back at him, but otherwise did not look concerned about the situation.

"Exile... What's going on here?" Clay asked as he stared at the fanatical expressions of the NPCs.

"We're having a Holy War with these guys..." Exile pointed his axe towards Parthus, causing the others to look at him. "But I'll be honest. Our side is definitely outnumbered, even with you guys arriving here. Our first priority is not to win. But to get as many Skardians to return home safely as possible."

"How are we going to do that? They don't exactly look like they're willing to give up on this place." Leggy mumbled as the sound of the ram striking the gate became more intense. 

"Why are they just staring at us instead of attacking?" Old Un cut in with a confused expression.

Exile cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at the players on the walls. None of them were showing any signs of making a move. "They're probably analysing the situation like us. Plus, they were all here before me. Depending on what they've done before I arrived they might be low on DP. As for getting these guys to retreat... We'll have to wait them out. Keep them alive long enough for them to realise it's a lost cause."

"What if it's not? A lost cause, I mean." Clay hummed as he stared at the cracks appearing in the city gates. "What if we can win?"

Exile frowned as the group turned silent. His gaze turned on the gates, then the faces of the Skardians as they roared. Eventually, settling on the players defending the city. 'Clay might be on to something... We're outnumbered but we have more fresh players on the scene than they do.' Exile counted three new players appearing on the walls, which led him to believe the enemy had not hidden anyone else inside the city.

The only thing holding him back from going all in was the title and contents of his Quest. As if the outcome of the battle had already been decided before he arrived. 'But how could it be?' Exile's frown deepened as he tried to figure out what could already be in motion to spell the defeat of their side. 

That was when an obvious answer came to mind. 'They have reinforcements coming!' It was the only thing that made sense. If the city defenders were to receive outside help, then at their level there was not much they could do to turn the tide of this war. 'If I were them, the first thing I would do is destroy the ships! Then attack us from the rear, catching us in a pincer move.'

Exile grimaced as he wondered if he were just overthinking things. But everything seemed to point in that direction. Even if he were wrong, then he was still sure something else would be coming. 'We have to get out of here fast...'

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