Cheers went up all along the wall and I dropped into the ruined grass, gasping for breath. A huge blue twenty blinked into the sky, counting down every second. The time until the next wave, probably.

Ezzie said, as the Constructor zoomed toward the massive corpse.

Ding! You found an Epic Weapon!

{Axe of the Winged Champion] has been added to your Constructor.

I said.

17

16

Ezzie said.

Ezzie continued.

9

8

Ezzie said.

I considered that, then nodded.

As she’d said, all of the tiny green icons that had been filling my bar winked out at once.

3

2

1

Regional Quest Update: The Creeping Ice

Spawning Wave 4/11

The creatures spawned, then; an entire legion of Warhounds, hundreds of them howling and galloping toward the north gate. But they were still only Warhounds.

I said.

Ezzie said, as four mortars exploded from the center of the city, their paths diverging in four different directions.

I said, as a tar ball erupted onto the front lines.

Ezzie said, as mortars boomed and black projectiles ripped through the air.

I said. The Warhounds were getting close; the ground was rumbling beneath my feet. Hundreds of low growls were building into a roar that left my hands a little shaky. At least a dozen of the creatures opened their mouths, balls of ice forming in the backs of their throats.

The spheres shot forward, stacking up on each other as they converged upon my position. I reflected one of the projectiles, but the rest of them burst over me like globes of water.

It felt like a cool breeze; that was it. My armor was frosted over, the seams dripping, but my health hadn’t been affected, nor had I been debuffed. I grinned at the oncoming force.

Ezzie said.

I raised my shield as the enemy front drew within melee range, Mirrorblocking a single attack.

The onslaught crashed over me, jaws clamping over my ankles and knees and thighs and and forearms. And just like that, I was on the ground, the creatures tearing into me wherever they could get purchase. I put my hands up over my face and neck, trying to protect myself as the scaly bodies pressed in, red teeth flashing.

Ezzie said, a little bit too cheerfully.

I said, as a Warhound’s teeth grated against my shin bone. I checked my health: it was flickering between ninety-five percent and full.

So…things were fine. Technically. Aside from the pain. It was a shadow of what it had been before, but it still hurt.

Ezzie said.

“Mirror Bomb!” A pulse of white light surged out from me, my vision clouding over with enormous numbers: Sixteen hundred, fifteen-fifty, fifteen-eighty.

All of the Warhounds were thrown back, dissolving into nanobots before they hit the ground. There were more where those had come from, though, and the hounds that had previously been unable to attack crashed over me like a wave, forcing me back into the exact same position: on the ground. Getting eaten.

Ezzie said.

I mumbled something that was apparently close enough to “Mirror Block” as the creatures continued trying to eat me. I could actually see their bars inch down as the additional reflect kicked on, though the numbers weren’t popping up above their heads.

Maybe that was for the best: given the Warhounds’ attack speed, and the sheer number of them messing me up, that many numbers would have made it difficult to see at all.

Ezzie hummed through the link, as if pleased.

Ezzie said.

Ezzie said.

I threw out another Mirror Bomb, vaporizing the Warhounds clustered around me. I regained my feet as their allies rushed in; this third wave was much smaller than the last two—I only counted about a dozen of them—and I wasn’t inclined to spend it on my back.

But the Warhounds pressed in at once, many of them circling around to my back, and no matter which way I turned, several of them managed to stay in my blind spot.

There didn’t seem to be anything I could do about that, so I activated Mirrorblock and leapt forward, bashing a leaping Warhound straight out of the air with my shield and sending it crashing into a second.

A set of jaws wrapped around my right ankle so I swung around and down with a Refraction Strike, my sword biting deep into the top of the mob’s head. I ripped the blade free with a burst of blood and swept around myself, trying to gain some space.

I said.

Ezzie said.

I said, as I whipped out another strike. I was barely dealing any damage; keeping the creatures at bay was all I could handle.

I nodded and flashed out a horizontal strike, then bashed a second Warhound with the pommel of my blade.

The fireballs started then, making trivial work of the Warhounds.

I checked my bar, which had jumped 10%.

Ezzie said.

Regional Quest Update: The Creeping Ice

Spawning wave 5/11

Ezzie said.

I said, as even more of the Warhounds swarmed closer, with a few Siegebeasts towering over the line. But given the relatively similar size of the wave, it seemed a sure bet that the same creatures had spawned outside the other gates.

Ezzie said.

I sighed.

Ezzie said.

I groaned as the line drew closer, the creatures’ howls filling the air. I ran over to a nearby boulder and put my back to it, not wanting to spend another wave on my back.

I got two swings off before a pair of Warhounds pushed me up against the rock, and the pain began again. Teeth, claws, the crunch of armor, the snapping of bones that were instantly mended. I couldn’t manage much of a counterattack given all the pressure, but at least this time I managed to stay on my feet.

I waited until Mirrorburn stabilized at about twenty-five percent of my health per second, then activated Mirrorblock, causing it to spike up to thirty percent.

“Mirrorbomb!”

The dome of light rippled outward, one-shotting the nearest Warhounds and taking a large chunk out of the three Siegebeasts within range. But more mobs quickly rushed in to fill the gap.

Ezzie said.

I said, wincing as a Warhound crunched through my gauntlet, its ice-cold teeth sinking into the soft flesh beneath.

Another Mirrorbomb, another rush. But the next round brought me a respite, leaving only a pair of Siegebeasts remaining.

I retreated until I had both of the Siegebeasts in front of me, then just focused on blocking their attacks until Ezzie could send the mages in to do the real work. Which made me think of something that we had not addressed at all.

she said, as the mortars continued their unending assault. I could hear the distant crackle of cannon fire, too, and the air was sharp with the scent of gunpowder.

I brought up a few of my items: my breastplate had already been reduced to forty percent of its maximum, and my shield was in even worse shape, with only ten durability points remaining. And we weren’t even halfway through the invasion.

she said.

she said.

I said.

Ezzie said.

I grunted at that but didn’t see another option. I’d just have to hope for the best.

Ezzie said.

There was a splash of fire, and the two Siegebeasts went down in a burning heap.

Ezzie said.

I said.

I said.

Ezzie said.

I looked around, then up. Dark clouds were rushing in, choking out the blue sky.

Ezzie said.

Regional Quest Update: The Creeping Ice

Spawning wave 6/11

I shivered as the temperature dropped once more, and snow began to fall, fat flakes drifting sideways in the sudden wind.

The clouds began to revolve, forming a whirlpool in the sky with a jet-black center that hovered high above the north gate.

Ezzie said.

A wingless serpent dove out of the clouds, lightning crackling in its wake.

{The Wyrmking} {Level 12 Dragonkin} (Raid Boss)

HP: 60,000/60,000