After fighting with the large herd, we had decided that the word had been spread enough. For now, at least… If we still needed to spread it more later, we could. However, we all knew that there would be resistance coming from Try’s Hold soon. With only eight people left to defend it, there was little chance of it surviving a full assault.

We could have chosen to spread the word to the wandering herds before visiting Try’s Hold, but honestly that would have led to problems of its own. Had we done so, then the herds would have had time to gather their numbers to attack. In comparison, a smaller group from Try’s hold seemed like the safer option.

On our way back to the haven, we did not bother with approaching either of the two wandering herds that we saw along the way. However, neither did we avoid them. Seeing as there were only the four of us in our group, neither herd really had any intention of stopping us. As such, we were able to travel in a relatively straight line, arriving back at the haven within only a week.

By the time we arrived, we found that the wall surrounding the area seemed even a little bit higher than it had been before. Although this time we had to circle around to find the gate, we soon saw that it too had grown with this increase. That being said, the inside of the haven itself was still largely the same. The only real difference was that a second circular wall had been created near the center of the wide field.

Additionally, a circular stone structure was created near the opening in the wall. This one barely came up to my waist, before two stone columns rose up, one on either side. Finally, a third stone rod connected them, extending from one of the columns on the far side with a handle. Extending down from the rod was what looked to be tightly woven grass.

I couldn’t help but approach the structure, looking down into the deep hole in the center. “It’s called a well.” I heard a familiar voice speak up, and turned to see Serena gliding down from the walls, landing gently before she tucked her wings in to approach us.

Seeing my confused expression, Serena turned the handle repeatedly, which caused the grass rope to rise up. Eventually, I was able to hear the splashing of water, as a stone bucket was lifted up to the top of the well. “Dalin came up with the idea, and had Hyumahn build it. Slowed down the completion of the wall, but now we don’t have to worry about water anymore.”

Hearing that, I winced internally, remembering that we did not set up this haven near an easily accessible stream. It was hard enough to come across water as it was, and most herds only kept their wandering to within a certain distance from a common source. Of course, that’s exactly why this haven is far removed from those sources of water, as it would make it all too obvious where we were.

After that, I quickly changed the subject. “Has there been any signs from anyone, yet?” I asked, glancing back to the wall.”

However, Serena simply shook her head. “Nobody else has attacked while you were gone, aside from one small herd that was just trying to wipe out the ‘filthy cursed’. We did see signs of a unicorn on the horizon a few days ago, so it is likely that our location has already been scouted by them. Liria said it is only a matter of time now until they send a group here.”

I nodded my head solemnly at that. “Then, there are many things that we need to prepare.”

After that, we spent the next several weeks getting ready for what we knew would come. By the time that the real battle came, nearly a full season had passed. The day’s light was becoming harsher, the rain coming less frequently. Normally, this would be an ideal time to attack a location like ours, one removed from a natural water source.

And, if not for the well that Dalin thought of, we surely would have suffered heavy losses. For it was on one such day when we saw the first sign of the forces from Try’s Hold. To our surprise, they did not advance from the direction of their own city, but rather had circled around to stand between us and the nearest stream.

When I saw that, I couldn’t help but send a glance towards Dalin. Was it coincidence that he had come up with the idea for the well just before they chose to use this method to attack? Or, was it that Dalin had already come up with the idea, and decided that this would be the best time to use it? Either way, I was truly thankful, because the well was a great convenience for us.

Using my Power of the Scout, I was able to see some details from the group of variants approaching. As expected, the vast majority of them were unicorns. Although the pegasus variant was more common, according to what the others had told me, the unicorns had used their strength to declare themselves as Tryval’s chosen…

Another detail that I couldn’t help but notice was that several of those near the front appeared injured. As they were guarding a sizable water source, it was likely that they had met several herds that came by to get a drink. Maybe that’s why they were choosing to attack now, they had grown tired of waiting.

Right now, I stood atop the walls, having come up here thanks to ramps that Hyumahn built into the inside of the wall. With me were Dalin and Liria, who also naturally saw the same scene as myself. “So, what now?” Liria asked in a concerned tone as she looked towards me.

I knit my brows together in in thought as I looked out towards the ones who would be within attacking range within a few hours. From what I could see, they numbered nearly a hundred. Thus, this was easily the largest enemy group that we have faced, made even more powerful by the fact that most of them were likely mages.

However, we had an advantageous position. The direction that they were advancing from was almost completely opposite to where the gate was located. So, they would either have to maneuver their way around the entirety of our wall, or force open a hole. Doing either option would allow for us to harass them, so long as they came within our range.

More importantly, we had learned a few of their tricks. “Liria, you and Serena get ready. When they get close, if I give the order, you two will fly out and make a boulder run.” When we knew that we would be attacked like this, we had prepared several promise scrolls containing large rocks like what those from Try’s Hold had used against us. “But first…”

This was meant to be a safe haven, a place of peace. Given that, I could not attack without offering another way. I activated my Power of the Leader, and felt my ki flowing into my voice. Although I spoke in a calm, normal manner, I knew that my voice was echoing loudly in the direction I was facing. “Variants of Try’s Hold. In Tryval’s name, I greet you. This is the haven set up according to his will. Those who wish to reside here peacefully will be welcomed with opened arms. But, those who wish to destroy this sanctuary will themselves be destroyed.”

Despite knowing that my words reached them, I was able to see that they continued advancing. More importantly, I saw that several of the pegasus units even pulled out their bows. Obviously, they had no intentions of accepting my invitation. Seeing that, Liria simply nodded her head and trotted back towards the ramp to meet up with Serena.

The height of the wall was already such that a normal mage would not normally be able to attack those standing atop it unless they were fairly close. However, for those on top of the walls, it was another matter entirely. This was something else that Dalin had explained, which he described as the advantage of the high ground. With it like this, our effective range was far greater than theirs.

Turning my head to look into the city, I gave a low shout. “Hyumahn, maintain the wall. Namor, to me. Malcon, Dhalia, Drahman, you three come up too! Everyone else, move towards the gate and defend there.”

While we did have to focus our attention on this battle, we could not overlook the fact that any normal herd could simply wander in through the front gate. For that purpose, I had to dispatch those without any good long range abilities to defend that area. Normally, I would be heading there myself, but it did not feel right for me to leave this battle. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt as if I would lose something if I did.

Turning back to face the approaching group, I gave a slight sigh. They were still over an hour away if they moved at a steady trot. Perhaps if they charged, they could arrive in a few minutes, but doing so would break their formation and lead to accidents among them, not to mention that they would be more tired when they finally arrived. “Serena, Liria, go. Fly high.”

As my voice fell, I heard the beats of large wings from behind me, the two female pegasus variants flying into the sky behind me. I could briefly see their shadow falling over my before I confirmed that they were truly flying higher and higher into the air. Around each of their legs, I saw that they had hastily tied a promise scroll using strips of leather, while their hands carried more of the same scrolls.

I watched as the two of them flew at great speeds towards the incoming forces. While they did, five of their own pegasus units ran up to lift off and fly into the air as well. Before Liria and Serena could get close, they were already being shot at with arrows from those five. However, there was a reason that I did not have the two of them take their weapons.

While flying, the body of a pegasus variant is always in motion, bobbing up and down with every flap of its wings. This causes its aim to be extremely unsteady. Even those with a very strong Power of the Archer might not be able to successfully hit a target from a distance while flying in this manner.

And, sure enough, we were able to see as each arrow flew wide, not coming close to hitting either of their targets. Like this, Liria and Serena simply ignored them, flying higher to go directly above the enemy. After that, they split up, each flying in a different direction while unhesitantly ripping apart the scrolls in their hands.

Each time a scroll was ripped, it created a burst of light around the matching scroll tied to one of their legs. When both scrolls vanished, a large boulder emerged in the air and began to fall down towards the variants below. With each one having four pairs of scrolls, this created a line of eight boulders that fell towards the heads of the approaching army.

Even from this distance, I could practically see the panic on their faces as they struggled to get out of the way of the attack. Although they were not packed too densely, it was still hard to move that quickly without running into the others. This led to quite a few of them being crushed beneath the stones, even though the total casualties did not go past ten. It was still an effective strategy to eliminate a few of them before they could retaliate.

After they dropped their boulders, they circled back to fly back to the haven. Naturally, the five pegasus units trying to shoot them down followed, still releasing arrow after arrow. It wasn’t until they were almost back to the wall that one of them managed to land a lucky shot, embedding an arrow into Serena’s lower side. As she was close enough, I could hear her hissing in pain, her wings faltering for a moment before she forced herself to carry on. If she dropped from that height, there was no doubt that she would die.

“Dalin, Namor, Dhalia.” I quickly called out to Dalin and the two who had arrived while Liria and Serena were out. The first to react was Dhalia, who quickly pulled her bow out and fired an arrow towards one of the distant flyers. Her aim was steady, and she had imbued her arrow with her wind ki, letting it sail through the air directly to her target. Though, he appeared to have seen the arrow at the last second, dodging to the side to avoid it. Sadly, that caused the arrow to drive itself into his wing, which sent him crashing down into the ground.

Dalin and Namor were not much slower. Each of them sent out a spell, a single shard of ice flying into the air towards two of the remaining four pegasus archers. Of course, these shards did not carry the speed of Dhalia’s arrows, so they were easily avoided. Still, it sent a message that caused them to hesitate, eventually turning around to fly back to the main force.

Turning my head around, I shouted down below. “Hyumahn, take care of Serena. Liria, join the others at the gate.” After saying that, I quickly turned my attention back towards the enemy party ahead, my voice calming to a more normal level. “So, what do you guys think?”

Dhalia was the first to answer, a slight smile on her lips. “I don’t have enough arrows for everyone, Ashur.” She said with a shake of her head, looking to the other two. Next up was Dalin.

“If we use our magic properly, we should be able to take care of them. However…” He turned to look down at the inside of the wall. “Hyumahn will need to be able to keep the wall in one piece. If the wall goes down, we won’t be able to do anything.”

I couldn’t help but nod at that, still keeping my eyes focused on our enemy. I knew that I would not be able to help much in this fight, as I lacked the ranged attacks needed to harm those below the wall. I would be relying on the three of them, but at the same time I would be at the most dangerous position. “Then, prepare yourselves. Whatever spells you can unleash that will help us. We don’t need to kill them all, but we do need to make them surrender.”

Dalin nodded his head, before he and Namor walked in different directions to spread out along the wall. Now, it was just a matter of waiting and watching. With every step that they took, I could feel the atmosphere becoming more and more serious. Even though we had already killed several of their members, they showed no signs of stopping.

I couldn’t help but glance over to Drahman and Malcon. “Whatever you two can do to help.”

Malcon nodded his head solemnly, closing his eyes in prayer. “May Tryval guide us towards the path he has ordained. May his steps be our steps, and may he see us through the day.” As he finished, I could feel a small warmth enveloping me, the mark of Malcon’s blessing.

As for Drahman, his help was… less helpful. “My Powers are not for combat.” He said, shaking his head with a bitter smile as he simply turned to watch the battle. “My Power of the Bard allows me to record history and pass it on. This is the best place for me, yet I can do nothing to help.”

Although I had known that would be the case, I was still a bit disappointed. With this, there was not one, but two useless people atop the wall. Both of us simply standing here to watch the moment. “Okay… then, may Tryval protect us.”