The golem’s martial skill is always set at its max cap.
The description explained why some of Swarm’s scores had a range. The values constantly shifted depending on how many spheres each spirit was controlling at any given time. Despite the unexpected result, Swarm was still an extremely powerful creature. I felt my lips peel back in a feral grin. This thing was going to fuel my enemies’ nightmares.
I reached out and patted a quivering limb. “Let’s go. It’s time to find you a meal.”
12 - Into the Breach
The shifting metal abomination drew the gazes of everyone around as I led it through the valley.
“Father!” Lirian came running toward me. She glanced briefly at the hulking monstrosity before looking back at me. “Is it time yet?”
I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Lirian about our adventure in Akzar, and I did a double-take when I noticed her level had spiraled up to 30. “Almost,” I said, examining her closely. “How is your mother?”
Lirian winced. “Hunting. We didn’t have much time together. She asked to see us both before we left. She’s waiting for us by the river.”
That was cutting it a bit close. Sullivan had specifically requested I arrive at the staging area an hour in advance. “Go to the cathedral and wait for me there,” I said to Swarm. “Don’t hurt anyone.”
“Yes, master,” Swarm’s multitude of voices answered. The abomination turned toward the elevated structure, his limbs sprouting sporadically in the general direction and moving him along in jarring, uneven bursts.
I turned my mind toward the information tendrils saturating my clan and located Tika. My spouse was outside the valley at the very edge of Nihilator’s zone of influence. I offered Lirian my hand and teleported us both over to her.
Tika was waiting for us between the trees, wearing her usual leather huntress outfit. She smiled when she saw us appear out of thin air. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t come.”
“Not a chance of that.” I took her in my arms. The faint, pleasant fragrance of her hair reminded me of simpler times and took some of the burden off my heart.
I stepped back and the two women embraced each other briefly.
“I’ve brought us something to eat,” Tika said, holding up a leather satchel. “Let’s go to the river.”
We walked outside the zone of darkness and onto the river bend where we’d camped before. I realized I was famished when Tika handed me a fish-flakes sandwich, a recipe I hadn’t sampled before. With all the pressure to get ready for the coming war, I’d forgotten to eat.
The food was delicious, as usual. After eating, Tika spread out a few oddly shaped bones on the ground and taught us how to play a goblin game of dexterity. It involved a lot of finger deftness and catching each other off-guard. We laughed as we played, and Lirian soon won all the bones. Tika and I looked at our daughter with pride. It felt good. Like a normal family.
Sitting with my two girls, relaxing and enjoying ourselves, reminded me of what I was fighting for. This was for them as well as for the players – a world where monsters could live and thrive without constantly being hunted by the so-called ‘civilized races.’
Tika smiled at Lirian and me. “I miss you. You two are always out of the valley, going on adventures.”
“We miss you too,” my daughter answered for both of us.
The huntress sighed. “I worry about you both. Sometimes I wish we could all just live out here in peace forever.”
“I feel the same,” I said, my emotions welling up at her words. I put one arm around Lirian’s shoulders and another around Tika’s. “But you don’t need to worry; we take care of each other.”
Lirian leaned into me. “I want to make you proud of me.”
“I am proud of you,” Tika and I answered in unison. We looked at each other and chuckled.
The huntress let out a soft laugh. “You two are so much alike. How can I not be proud? Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“We will,” I said.
“And Lirian, make sure to watch over your father. He tends to forget about some things when he gets all worked up. Small things like sleeping, eating, visiting his spouse.”
Lirian nodded gravely. “I will, Mother.”
We finished our small meal and hugged each other for long moments before parting. Then Lirian and I returned to the cathedral. I beckoned Swarm to follow, and we stepped through the portal.
***
“Thank god you’re here.” I nearly walked into Sullivan who was standing just outside the portal. The player looked at me anxiously. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t we? I was just about to message you.”
There was no need to ask what he was worried about. The local temple was built on an elevation, so I could see over the palisade my soldiers had erected.
Thousands of enemy soldiers were advancing toward us. The hamlet itself was packed full of our troops stationed along the palisade. Hobs stood in disciplined rows, while clusters of Ogres were bouncing impatiently for the coming violence.
“Yeah, it’s going to be pretty even-sided,” Sullivan said, following my gaze. “I think we stand a good chance, but I’m worried about their knights and whatever surprises they might be hiding from us.”
The enemy had the advantage of numbers on us, but not overwhelmingly so. Good strategy and preparation would go a long way to evening up the odds.
“Don’t worry.” I turned back toward the portal. “We have our own surprises.”
A flailing, beaded tentacle burst out of the shimmering rift, then its tip morphed, growing a shrieking torso. More limbs burst through, then the golem’s main bulk appeared.
“Holy bananas!” Sullivan moved back. “What the hell is that?”
“Kill …” the monstrosity said through multiple heads that kept on shifting. “Smash, tear, rend …”
Several nearby players turned, gasping at the abomination.
I grinned at the flabbergasted players. “Sullivan, meet Swarm. His people skills aren’t all that great, but his people-ending skills should come in handy.”
“Level 280?” Sullivan gasped as he examined the monster. Then he frowned. “Wait … now it’s listed as level 172, and now 92?”
“Swarm is …” I searched for the right word, “… convoluted. But I’m pretty sure he’ll come in handy.”
The strategist frowned. “Somehow I don’t think we can rely on him to follow specific orders.”
“No,” I agreed. “I think Swarm would be best utilized by just pointing him in the general direction. He barely listens to me as it is. But don’t worry,” I added merrily when I saw the player’s downcast expression, “we already have others for that; Bonecruncher, Broncar, and a couple dozen other bosses at our disposal.”
Sullivan grinned. “I can work with that.”
“Chief!” a woman’s voice shouted. A moment later, Hoshisu appeared with Savol close behind. The player stopped when she reached us, her eyes wide as she inspected Swarm. “I’ve got some bad news.”
“What is it?” Sullivan asked.
“Catapults,” the white-haired woman said shortly. “They’re assembling four of them right now. Theirs are bigger than ours and well outside of bow range.”
“Damn,” Sullivan muttered. “They’ll reduce our wooden walls to splinters with a few hits.”
“Savol does not think they want to fight wall,” the goblin general said. “Savol thinks they fire on army inside.” He looked at Lirian as if seeking her approval. The goblinette gave him a slight nod, and he instantly seemed more at ease.
Sullivan grimaced. “He’s right. I hadn’t accounted for siege weapons. We’re too tightly packed in here; a few well-placed shots could easily kill a lot of soldiers. And if we retreat, they’ll just tear down the walls, their army will march in, and we’ll lo
se our advantage.”
“Then what can we do?” I asked.
“That’s why I asked you to arrive in advance. I can handle their soldiers in a conventional confrontation, but I need you out there to eliminate the big threats and level up the playing field.”
“I remember; your one-man hit squad. Tell me what you need me to do.”
“These catapults are well behind the enemy line,” Sullivan said. “We can lose half of our army just trying to get to them. You need to take them down.”
“You don’t ask for small things, do you?” I frowned. Despite expanding the zone of influence by upgrading the local altar into a Dark Temple, the outer edge only reached halfway to the enemy’s siege engines. The entire area was crawling with their soldiers. There was no way I could fight my way through alone, and there was no point in throwing our elite’s lives away just to carve me a path.
I considered using a shadow clone to rush straight through the enemy lines, but I dismissed that idea. Maintaining my clone in full daylight would be difficult; the strain on my mana would be extreme, and the clone would become weaker the farther away it got. Even if I reached the catapult, I might not be strong enough to take them down, and it would be impossible to hide the presence of a shadow creature under the sun. A few well-placed spells would be enough to tear it apart. In short, the clone was not the answer.
“So, can you do it?” Sullivan pressed.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “But it means using my once per day ‘don’t die’ ability. I’d rather save that for emergencies.”
“This is an emergency.”
“You’re right. I’ll do it.” I looked down at the goblin next to me. “Here, General, this should be useful to you.” I handed him Akzar’s Overlord Ring.
The purple-caped goblin stared at the magical band in amazement and slipped it onto his finger. He closed his eyes and nodded. “Savol can speak to soldiers now.”
“Good.” I squinted as the first rays of the sun appeared on the horizon. That was going to be a hindrance.
“Yeah,” Sullivan said. “Daylight is happening. That’s going to cut back our strength. Any chance you can summon the same perpetual darkness you’ve got going in Goblin’s Gorge?”
I brought up the Dark Temple Interface. I had 970 out of the required 1,000 FP. “Not right now,” I said. “But soon. I need to sacrifice some enemies first. But that’s a good idea. Aside from the darkness, it also debuffs enemies.”
“Then I’m going to make it your next priority after taking care of those catapults. No shortage of enemies around to sacrifice.”
I grinned at him. “You got it.”
Lirian stepped forward. “I want to join you.”
“Not right now,” I told her. “I’m literally going to throw my life away. But don’t worry, there will soon be plenty of enemies to fight.” I smirked. “Besides, I need you to stay here, in case I run into too much trouble. I mean, who’s better to bail me out?”
She considered my words with a serious expression then nodded reluctantly. “Yes, Father.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, I felt my excitement mounting. The battle was about to begin. This was not just another desperate struggle against overwhelming odds. We had prepared for this for a long time. Our soldiers were well-trained and well-equipped. Despite the odds, we were ready for this.
“They’re coming!” someone shouted from the direction of the walls.
***
Sir Lanceington narrowed his eyes as he examined the monsters’ fortifications. The enemy had raised a thick palisade, but it was made mostly of wood. And wood burned. “How are those catapults coming along?”
“They should be ready to fire in ten minutes, sir,” an officer said.
“Good. Start advancing our forces. I want a tight formation outside of bow range. They need to be ready to charge. Once we bombard their forces, they’ll be clear to approach and take out the stragglers.”
“Now that’s gonna be a mistake,” the dwarven player said as he approached. “You’re leaving them big-ass slingshots o’ yors just sittin’ there, ripe for tha’ takin’.”
“We have a full squad guarding each one,” an officer objected. “We don’t need the opinion of a goddamn traveler.”
“They’ll rip through yor soldiers like rotten cabbage,” Ragnar growled in response. “I know them beasties; they like sneaking ’round.”
Sir Lanceington gave the player a piercing look. Ragnar folded his arms and didn’t waver. “Very well,” the commander said and turned to the officer. “Double the guards on the catapults.”
“Ain’t enough,” Ragnar said. “You should put them fancy-ass knights of yors there,” Ragnar said.
The commander shook his head. “Our scouts have reported several high-level elites among the enemy numbers. The knights are needed to hunt them down.”
“Fuckin’ NPCs,” Ragnar said. “I already been telling ya’, you ain’t fight’n no simple monsters – those are travelers leadin’ them.”
“We can handle you travelers,” the officer spat in disgust. “If it was up to me you’d be thrown–”
“Lieutenant!” Sir Lanceington snapped. “That is enough.” He turned to the dwarf. “You’re free to join the protective detail if you choose, or the front lines. I leave the choice to you. But whatever you decide, be ready. We’re about to begin.”
***
I climbed to the top of the palisade and watched the enemy advance. Thousands of soldiers approached, closing ranks some distance away from the walls. They formed a tight line that was easily a hundred meters wide. Farther behind them, I could see the four catapults being assembled. The frame was already completed, and the engineers were assembling the launching arm. I had to act now before they could finish.
I zeroed in on the farthest spot I could teleport to. It would put me toward the back end of the enemy line. I was in for a fight. I took a moment to charge my staff with three Direballs then activated Mana Infusion, compressing the force into my legs. I gripped my Demon Staff tightly, took a deep breath, and teleported away. I reappeared a moment later in the thick of the enemy lines, not far from the back edge.
The nearest soldiers gasped when they saw me. Their weapons were drawn and they moved to strike, but I was already in motion. I pointed my staff at the back of their line and let out a Direball. The detonation instantly killed a handful of soldiers and injured at least a dozen more, opening a clearing halfway to the exit. I barged through the gap, kicking off my mana-enhanced legs in a burst of speed.
The enemy soldiers were alert now and quickly closed in on me. I tried teleporting ahead, but outside the zone of influence and under direct sunlight, the spell didn’t find enough shadows to let me through. I released the rest of the stored Direballs through my staff. The two explosions opened the soldiers’ ranks completely, and I could see my way out of their lines.
But the surprise was fully over. Soldiers closed in on me from all sides, weapons raised to strike. I couldn’t afford to use a shield and become bogged down, so I tried to push on through. I dodged the closing ranks, receiving a few blows in the process that shaved a sliver off my health pool. I ignored the muted pain and kept going.
I was almost out when the soldiers cut me off, and more blades found my flesh through the mithril armor. I cast a standard Direball, nearly losing my hold of the spell as several weapons stung me. I opted to keep on running, but this time the spell failed to detonate. An enemy mage stepped in and the Direball’s energies were sucked into a shimmering blue orb that nullified them.
I kept advancing slowly, moving the mana in my body to my arms and back to increase my upper body strength as I thrust my spear-staff through the enemies around me. The Epic-ranked weapon easily tore through hard leather and steel plates, but I was taking more hits than I was giving. I tried casting another Direball, but four swords stuck into me at the same time, causing me to lose the spell. I snarled back at the enemies, feeling my rage build. I froze four
men, and my dagger swooshed between them, plucking out their lives. Their bodies dropped to the ground, transforming into oozing black liquid.
Sullivan was right, I had no shortage of enemies to sacrifice. More weapons hit my body, and then I felt a searing pain as a flaming ray burnt cleanly through my leg. My plummeting health only added to the bubbling rage. I looked up, opened my mouth, and let out a primal roar, unleashing all the pent-up energy into my last-ditch boss attack.
Blood Wrath exploded around me, sending a concussive wave of several tons of force. The ranks of pressing bodies were hurled backward by a force much greater than a Direball. The tangled bodies didn’t unravel; many of them had broken bones or were impaled on their own comrades’ weapons. I felt savage pleasure rise in me at the sight of my enemies’ crumpled bodies.
“No one messes with the chief!” I bellowed and charged on, finally passing the enemy line.
Out in the open, the enemy archers finally had a clean shot at me. I only managed a dozen steps before hundreds of arrows descended all around me. But there was a grin on my face as I felt the last bit of HP leave my body.
I had made it through.
***
“What is the commotion over there?” Sir Lanceington said. From his vantage point, he was able to see the entire battlefield laid out before him. A small gap opened at his army’s rear.
A messenger riding a horse came galloping toward him. “One of the enemy raid bosses just appeared inside our forces,” he shouted before dismounting.
“Casualties?” the commander asked sharply.
“Over 30 killed, at least twice that many injured. The healers are working on them.”
“Thirty is a reasonable price to pay to take down one raid boss,” an officer said. “We didn’t even need to call in for the knights.”
“Every life is precious,” the commander snapped. “And those bosses come back eventually; they always do. Where are my catapults?”
Life Reset: Conquest (New Era Online Book 5) Page 22
