Chapter 27

Adrian fell in behind the team, as directed by his map. The entire army comprised densely packed groups of five across the front. It looked like the army encircled the mountain, and as they got further in some teams would have to give way. From what he could see, at least fifteen thousand people had answered the call to arms. Then again, Adrian could not understand how anyone could refuse the summons. The rewards for participation and penalties for not were so material that everyone should have said yes. Sure you were risking death, but if the attack failed, then the world would be destroyed and you would die, anyway. It was not like you could run away from what was coming.

Adrian remembered that shell he had glimpsed through the portal. It was huge and because the zxeatra size corresponded to power, given the number of stage one and stage two shells that he had seen in the cave, this entire army might not win.

The stages sort of followed classes. The lower they were the more dangerous. However, the spread of power was larger in stages than classes, which already lacked precision. Stage four was weak, stage three was stronger than him before he received extra temporary levels, but weaker than him now. Stage two covered the range, from the Bird at peak class four, and Adrian or Jules could now solo them. Stage one could be anywhere from class three or all the way up to two, and those his team of five could challenge, at least the weaker ones. A strong stage one, no chance. That would be worse than fighting a full power wyrm. The army could take it, but survival of the individual would probably end up depending more on luck than skill.

Relentlessly, they marched forward. Adrian walked behind the fighters and powerful Mind Spikes automatically shot out. Though Adrian monitored them and if a shell appeared he manually aimed the spikes.

Any octopods hit died easily so he ignored them. But with the shells, the mental attacks regularly one shot them and even when it ‘failed’ it would stun the shell. Which would then get targeted by the warriors in front of him. A helpless shell hit by a charge skill followed by hammer blows seemed to split the shells pretty easy. The upgraded warriors of Wangaratta were fearsome.

There were enough blades and mages between him and them that even when they used mana-infused charges they were outclassed by all the lower-level fighters. Level thirties even untrained were devastatingly strong.

Adrian saw front-line squads getting rotated. He witnessed the damage that one of the zxeatra could do when they pierced a group defence and crashed into the relatively squishy mages.

Healers, mages and even tanks died. One moment of inattention or a single mistake was enough. It was a salutary lesson to remember. Despite everything, Adrian still had a neck and that meant his head could be removed or a snake could bite him. He was powerful, not invulnerable.

As they got higher on the mountain, the first stage two shell appeared. It was thirty metres to his right, and it exploded through a squad. Bodies went flying. The surrounding squads attacked it immediately, and a wave of icy spears burst out in a ring from the shell. Five people already damaged by the initial charge died when they were impaled. Another eight received what would previously have been mortal wounds. Providing they got healing they would live.

Step.

Triple blade. Mind spike.

His blades launched towards the base of the main limb, even as the zxeatra swung it towards him.

Step.

The crystal upthrust that had been behind him was splintered by the smashing limbs.

Triple blade.

Wind gust.

Wind sent him soaring into the air, just in time. The shell accelerated through the space he had been standing. His triple blade hit dead on, crashing into the cuts the first round of blades had done on the single dangerous limb.

It was tougher than expected. Despite two full hits, the limb was still functional.

Step

Triple blade, triple blade.

Step.

Mind spike.

It was looking for him.

Adrian felt its senses pulse like a type of radar as it tried to locate what was hitting it. It washed over him and Adrian knew he had been located. A moment later, a focused pulse hit him and the limb snapped back like a whip towards him.

Fortunately, it was too slow, and his second volley of triple blades crashed home. Between that damage and the tension of the strike, there was a ripping sound, and the appendage flapped onto the ground held just by a tendril of skin only two inches wide and an inch thick.

It froze, the Mind Spike combined with the pain of its limb being all but severed was enough to lock it still. Two specialists came hurling in, propelled by a movement spell. One wielding a modified sledgehammer and the other an indestructible mining pick.

Level 38 Wall Breaker

A class specialised in breaking through barriers.

That one was using a sledgehammer that had an active ability that could triple the force behind a blow.

Level 45 Miner.

The miner class is equipped to break through the toughest walls.

Crack!

The point of the ice pick went through the shell and created a spider web of cracks in the structure.

BOOM!

The sledgehammer hit right next to the ice pick and blasted through the suddenly weakened shell. It ended up fully embedded so that only the edge of the handle was outside the shell. Both men yanked their weapons free and rolled away. A torrent of spells whooshed down targeting the gap that the two men had just created. They lit up the monster under the shell. It suddenly shot off, fleeing the battle.

Adrian only got a glimpse in Magic Focus as it fled, mortally wounded. While its flight had taken it over the next ridge, Adrian could tell that was as far as it was going to get. Its movement was just like a headless chicken, its brain stem was gone, and the amount of damage done to the rest of its body fell beyond the capacity of anything to heal.

“We are running into higher-level resistance,” Mike’s voice echoed in his ear. “Alpha squads reform and wait for further instructions.”

Adrian found his map had updated, and he turned away from the carnage and jogged to the meeting spot.

As he was running, another stage two appeared. He thought about deviating to help but, then decided that for this battle he should be a team player and follow instructions. The monster was outside of his sensing domain and behind him, but he still heard a booming sound as it met the defending groups.

Then screams.

Adrian did not let himself look back because if he did, he might not stop himself from intervening.

Jules was just reaching the other three when he arrived. Her face was grim with the easy humour of earlier in the day gone. “People are dying everywhere.”

“They might have levels and combat abilities, but they don’t have the training we do.”

“We have to trust the generals,” Murphy said.

“Have you met Mike?” he asked before he could help himself.

“Adrian!” Both Joanna and Jules snapped at him, though Jules was openly smirking and Joanne was trying not to.

“How do you think we are going?” Paul asked into the sudden awkward silence.

“Good,” Adrian answered.

“I think I saw almost twenty people die,” Paul stated.

Adrian shrugged. “Yep. Its war. People are going to die. The question is if we are killing enough of them to justify the losses.”

Paul looked at him aghast. “That’s cold.”

“Practical,” Adrian disagreed.

“We’re talking, sons, daughters and parents. Each life is precious.”

“And they.” Adrian waved his hand forward. “Are trying to kill everyone in the entire world.”

“But you don’t have to be so cold.”

“He’s not,” Jules interrupted gently. “We’ve just seen more and had to make decisions about acceptable losses. Once you have done that, it changes you.”

“Paul, don’t think for a moment that this fight is a foregone conclusion. We can lose.

“With the gear and levels we’ve all been given, I can’t see how we can lose?”

“Those people who died, how did those gear and levels help?” Adrian said quietly.

Paul frowned. “I know but…”

“What there are so many of us?” Adrian paused to let his words sink in. “The system gave us everything it could for this fight. I don’t know if that makes us overwhelming favourites or takes it from impossible to a slight chance. It could be either, but the fight’s real. This is a world-ending event. I’m not going to let compassion rule my actions and as often as I don’t always see eye to eye with Mike, he won’t either. There’s too much on the line.”

“Alpha teams, we have confirmation that there is a stage one mage guarding the hole. It has pretty well cleared out all the minor zxeatra, which is why we are seeing stage two already. I want you to move forward to the front line, but you need to preserve your strength for that fight. You can help the rest of the troops, but don’t burn your reserves or we’ll pull you back.”

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