by Jason Cheek
“Fucking Orc Shamans,” I cursed under my breath while having to bear witness to the coming deaths of my people happening right in front of me. The enemy’s response was as one would’ve predicted. Upon seeing the helpless riders and horses lying stunned on the ground, the nearest Orcs charged in for the kill. Unsurprisingly enough, only the riders unlucky enough to fall near the end of the formation were hacked to death where they fell. The rest of the Orcs that charged in were easily trampled by the mass of Heavy Cavalry that were continuously charging past as they did their best not to further injure their fallen brethren.
While I understood that the overall numbers of downed troopers were small in comparison to the total number of Royal Cavalry on the field, it still meant several hundred troopers were going to die in this one battle if they didn’t get the cover they needed to remount and fallback. I didn’t know what the Orc kill ratio was to that of the Royal Cavalry troopers, but if Palnisdale was going to have any hope of fighting off this endless horde, they couldn’t be trading their lives with the enemy at these current numbers. That, and I needed Lance Leader Warf alive to pull off the plan I had for hurting the Orc’s vanguard during the Royal Cavalry’s pullback to the Western gate. Pointing to where the cavalry officer’s group had gone down, I shouted in raid chat. “We have to rescue Lance Leader Warf or this whole plan is going to fall apart!”
Unbeknownst to my friends, I was nearly thrown right off Neysa's back while making that simple arm movement. Riding a Silver Dire Wolf was very different than riding a horse back on earth and it was taking my entire focus to keep up with her unique gait and body movements. Luckily for me, similar to being on a horse, it was a lot easier to keep astride while at a gallop than at a fast trot, so at least I had that going for me. Not that one mistake wouldn’t send me tumbling to the ground either way.
“You have a plan for all of this?” Krishna incredulously asked, waving an arm wildly at the chaotic battle.
“Of course, Lord Ironwolf has a plan,” Fylreh said, indignantly glaring back at the Uten Syn Guild Leader.
“I have a plan for how I want the cavalry to fall back to Palnisdale,” I said, gently correcting the overtly defensive filly, “not one for going toe-to-toe with the horde’s front line.”
“We go in and cause a ruckus until the riders mount back up and ride away,” Angie growled confidently, which thankfully was translated in raid chat, I thought, while reading what she was saying, “How hard can it be?”
“You didn’t just say that,” I groaned, urgently rapping my knuckles against my breastplate for luck as Phoenix covered her eyes with the palm of her hand in mock horror.
While I agreed that knocking on wood was pure superstition on my part, I personally never liked to tempt fate just ahead of a difficult mission or situation. Besides, I liked to think of it as showing respect to the “knock god.” Not that my metaphysical concerns stopped any of the Uten Syn guildmembers from laughing at my personal idiosyncrasies. Though, I did notice Lyeneru, Gaelin, and Fylreh thoughtfully taking note of the discussion.
“How old are you, Star?” Angie’s girlfriend, Julissa, humorously called out to me, “Seriously, that’s something I would’ve expected from my grandmother-”
“What-ever,” I mockingly cut her off, acting more offended than I actually was as my voice took on an officious tone. “You know, there was an actual study done on the phenomenon that discovered knocking on wood actually works by making people be more alert in difficult situations-” I busted out laughing, unable to continue the act at hearing the chorus of groans that came from the rest of the raid.
“We’ve got this, Lord Woody,” Monica, Angie’s other girlfriend, humorously called out as everyone but the people of The World laughed. Seeing that Fylreh was about to snap at the disrespect, I waved for her to let it go as Phoenix enthusiastically chimed in.
“It should work if we hit them hard and fast.”
“Isn’t that how you always like it?” I asked to a chorus of “Oh burn!”
“Come on girls,” Angie called out, ignoring our byplay as she easily began pulling ahead of Neysa, “let’s show these boys how it’s done!”
With a chorus of roars, the other three Umbra Hunters sprinted out in front of the raid, taking up a “V” formation with Angie and Lyeneru in the lead. Angie’s comment suddenly made sense as I realized that all the Wardens just happened to be boys while all the Druids were girls in this little attack run, I silently chuckled, thinking of the fun back-and-forth that went on amongst my own friends in-real-life. It was little games like this that could really help to bind a group of friends together and make the boring task of skilling up fun.
Feeling the thrill of the challenge, I urged Neysa to get out ahead of the Umbra Hunters while the Wardens behind me whooped in excitement urging their nature spirits to go faster. However, it quickly became apparent that none of us were going to catch up to them. That surprised me because, from what Lyeneru had said, the spirit forms weren’t supposed to be faster than a regular mount. I was just silently hoping that they weren’t pushing themselves too hard to show off for the upcoming battle, when Krishna dismissively spoke in raid chat.
“Don’t bother trying to catch up with them.” Seeing everyone’s surprised looks, he quickly explained. “Look, they’re using Arcane Speed combined with their Sprint ability. So, unless you can find a way for your mount to cast the spell on themselves, there’s no sense in trying to catch up to them.”
“Well fuck,” I thoughtfully mused, as Neysa’s anger flared over our shared link. It pissed her off to no end at being beaten by something totally beyond her control. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ I soothingly sent to her as a smile came to my lips, ‘it’s just another thing for us to figure out in the future. Besides, I wouldn’t trade you for the world!’ That calmed my girl down even as Angie tauntingly called out in raid chat.
“What’s that saying? Those that can,”
“Do!” Monica answered with a shout.
“And those that can’t,” Angie continued.
“Cry like a bunch of babies,” Julissa chortled as Angie and Monica joined her in laughing it up.
Chapter Six
(Star and friends meet the horde’s vanguard on the field of battle.)
I could only shake my head and smirk at their taunts. Unlike some of the grumbling coming from their guildmates, I appreciated good smack talking. The only rule you had to follow was that you had to take as well as you gave. Otherwise, the gaming community would eat you alive for being too sensitive, I silently contemplated, while the Umbra Hunters passed through the Royal Scout’s archery line.
The commotion that their black shimmering forms caused as they raced through the formation brought a smile to my lips. Before the mounted archers could do anything stupid, the rest of us passed by causing an even bigger commotion. Whickering in fear, the horses tried to bolt from their riders as they caught the scent of the undead and the manifest pets within our raid. Not that the riders were holding it together much better than their mounts at the sight of the unnatural creatures passing through their ranks. As the shouts of surprise began to die down, I silently crossed my fingers that Scout Leader Tanner would anticipate what I needed her troopers to do.
As we thundered across the fifty-yard gap, I felt the familiar narrowing of my focus which I’d always get just before a match. Though there was no chair to hunker down in, I could feel my senses quicken to the point where everything around me seemed to slow down. The sound of my beating heart throbbing in my ears was offset by the roar of Orcs intermixed with the screams of the men and women fighting for their lives while injured horses shrieked in agony. Unconsciously, my eyes narrowed to slits as Neysa’s hot breath streamed past my face in the crisp morning air. Clumps of dirt and ice flew over our heads from the paws of the Umbra Hunters’ tearing up the frozen earth in front of us. While a green glow surrounded the riders on their back, the familiar sparkle of Nature magic filled the air as the entire li
ne of Heavy Cavalry riders in front of us were blanketed with Healing Breeze.
In that same moment, I noticed Fylreh’s galloping gait smoothed out next to us as she lifted her bow preparing to let loose, while Krishna, Franky, and Gaelin’s Stags began spreading out behind us in a lopsided “V” formation. Similar to the other Uten Syn guildmates, they were casting their own group heals but they focused on all the downed groups of troopers within range. Both of which would greatly help our allies survive through the battle raging ahead of us.
Focusing on our goal, I took in the current battle situation. The two columns of Heavy Cavalry were charging around the downed group as their bloodied lances tore devastating wounds into the Orcs as they passed. While the column was effectively holding the Orcs back that were continuously trying to slaughter their downed commander, the rear of the column was quickly approaching. A quick guesstimate would put the last of them passing by just before we reached the downed group.
“Keep up the group heals while you hold the line,” I shouted as my mind struggled to come up with some sort of workable strategy, “and don’t get dogpiled before we can pull back!” Even with the size of our raid, I knew the situation was desperate.
“GGGRRRAAARRR!” Angie roared in pure excitement as the translated text instantly popped up in raid chat, “We’ve got this as long as the rest of you back us up!”
“So that’s how it’s going to be,” I muttered under my breath, as Lyeneru, Julissa, and Monica excitedly howled out their agreement. While their wordless howls simply showed up as “roar” in raid chat, I didn’t need a translation to understand their meaning. Although, surprisingly enough, none of the other Uten Syn guildmembers seemed to be upset at their response.
“Hey Star, we’ve been practicing something I think you’re going to like,” Krishna called out from behind me with a confidence I was unused to hearing from my new friend, “just take care of the downed horses and we’ll handle the rest as long as you don’t take too long!” Seeing the disbelieving look I gave him over my shoulder, Krishna’s laugh rang out in raid chat, “Don’t be such a worrywart. Besides, while everyone else was busy shopping and buying mounts, we were working hard on some new attacks.”
“The hell we’ll be good,” I shouted back in frustration, "healing the mounts isn’t going to be the problem, it’s escaping the Orcs that’s going to be the real trick!”
“Trust me, we’ve got this,” Krishna unconcernedly said as the rest of his guildmates cheered or howled in agreement, “The worst-case scenario, as you like to say,” a smile came to his face, “is we lose our zombies and manifest pets.”
“Ugh,” I groaned, rolling my eyes at my newbie friend’s naivety. There was no time to argue with any of them as I turned back around and began forming a quick plan of what needed to happen. While casting Minor Mend Bones on a group would’ve normally taken a shit-ton of time, for me, it was simple with my Extended Magic ability to spam it on everyone who needed it with just one cast. The only problem was that I needed to be dismounted to pull that off. So instead of wasting my time trying to heal the downed troopers as we rode up, I focused my efforts on what was needed to keep me and my friends alive while silently hoping Krishna and his guildmates weren’t being too cocky about their new abilities.
No matter what everyone thought was going to happen, I knew this was going to get ugly real fast. Still, I had to give them kudos for not hesitating against such overwhelming odds. With that thought in the back of my mind, I hurriedly began casting my individual buffs of Enhanced Mage Armor, Bone Shield, Bone Fangs, Arcane Speed, and Ice Barrier while doing my best to not fall off Neysa’s back. Though the chance of miscasts was high due to being mounted, it wasn’t a huge problem since all the spells were Instant Cast.
While we were still twenty yards out, I saw a bedraggled Lance Leader Warf unsteadily climb to his booted feet with one arm hanging uselessly at his side. Quickly taking in the dire situation, he drew his blade one-handed and bravely faced the advancing Orc Warriors, while bellowing out orders to the troopers that were still struggling to their feet around him as the last of the Heavy Cavalry raced past. One look at their injured horses shrieking in agony on the ground told them everything they needed to know about the situation they were in as they grimly prepared to sell their lives.
As the Orc Warriors closed to melee range, I saw Lance Leader Warf shift his stance to the attack. Without hesitation, he shoulder-checked the lead Orc and battered its cruel blade aside only to take a Shield Bash in the face. Before the Warrior could pull back the Heavy Bronze Shield and follow up on the opening, the female trooper next to Warf drove the shaft of her shattered lance deep into the demi-human’s side just as the male trooper on the Lance Leader’s other side slashed the Orc across the eyes. While that was going on, the last two troopers prepared to face off against the next three Orcs in line just when Fylreh’s Barrage of Death struck the oncoming Orcs solid mass of bodies with pinpoint accuracy.
In that moment, I don’t think either group were aware of our approach. Not even when the Orcs roared in agony at the slew of magic arrows piercing their thick hides. The Centauride’s strike was perfectly placed cutting off just in front of the Humans fighting for their lives. While the special attack didn’t kill any of these higher-level Orcs, it severely weakened them for what was to come next. Flashing in-between the combatants, the panther-like Umbra Hunters pounced at the enemy along with their riders. While the Orcs turned to face this new foe, there was a chorus of ear-splitting roars as the Druids seemed to erupt in midair into solid masses of corded muscle and thick coarse fur.
Both Orcs and Humans fell back in complete disarray at the sight of eight ferocious Werebears appearing within their midst as if out of thin air. Without hesitation, the Werebears tackled the Orc Warriors to the frozen ground and tore into them in a display of utter savagery and strength, shredding their targets to death in a frenzy of pure bloodlust. Gore, viscera, and chunks of shredded flesh were sprayed across the dirty snow and coated those that were nearest to the fighting within seconds. Ignoring the carnage, I made sure Helgath was securely strapped in place, before sliding off of Neysa’s back into the middle of the injured group of riders.
I didn’t bother explaining what was going on to my new vassals as I focused on mentally targeting the injured Humans and shrieking horses around me. As Lance Leader Warf turned to look at me in shock, I calmly met his eyes and triggered my Extended Magic Skill. Immediately, my hands began moving in the familiar pattern needed to cast the lower-level Minor Mend Bones spell as Krishna and the two other Wardens with him came charging into the scrum. Aiming for the wings of the enemy line that was closing in around us, the nature spirits lowered their large racks of antlers like a thorn phalanx and leaped into the battle.
There was a resounding crunch as Franky and Gaelin’s Stags slammed into the line of Heavy Bronze Shields, smashing the Orcs in front of them away like individual wrecking balls. At the same time, I saw Suman and Rohan working together with their guildmates as the four men began whaling on their enemies with blades and axes. Without any minus to their skills from fighting while mounted, they were able to slice deep into the enemy ranks while the closest Orc Warriors were thrown off their clawed feet.
On the other side, Krishna and Phoenix were holding their own with a similar strategy. Though, unlike the Wardens, as soon as the Guild Leader’s Stag slammed into the enemy’s ranks head-first to drive the Orc line back, I saw Phoenix dexterously spring to her feet and hop past Krishna. In three quick strides, she’d run up the nature spirit’s viny neck as its antlers were locked in place against the hastily erected shield wall and drew her new blade. Bracing a boot on the Stag’s antlers and neck, the red-headed beauty began sending the point of the Vicious Blade of Rending into the Orcs’ open-faced helmets with precise thrusts of her slim arm.
The fierce Barbarian’s unique tactic was perfect for the situation. Unable to block or effectively raise their weapons over their shi
elds due to the press of bodies, the only option available for the Orc Warriors in front were to drop their weapons and either try to block the deadly strikes with their bare hand or drag the annoying woman down from her perch. Not that the later worked with Krishna doing his best to add to the chaos as he sliced through fingers and wrists alike when they reached out for the red-headed beauty.
To add to the chaos as the rest of the horde began pushing forward to envelop our group, a mass of forty-three undead Orcs slammed into their ranks like enraged berserkers. Leaping over the top of the shield wall, the zombies shrugged off the physical blows coming in at them and hungrily bore their victims to the ground. Even as the second and third ranks of the horde surged forward, the blood-curdling screams of their brethren being eaten alive pierced even the most brutal Orc Warrior’s heart.
Before the horde could counter the undead tearing into their ranks, a chorus of bestial bellows and howls like I’d never heard before drowned out every other sound. A split-second later, bodies went flying as fourteen Manifest pets smashed into the Orc Warriors’ collapsing ranks like proverbial bulls in a china shop. The ferocity of their frenzied assault stopped the push to surround our group as the Orc Warriors under assault focused on simply trying to stay alive.
As the press of bodies brought their charge to a stop, the Cave Bears rose up on their hind legs and began bashing the enemy with their immense strength. With every swing of the Cave Bears’ dinnerplate-sized paws, bronze shields were dented and bent while iron blades and spear shafts were snapped. Working in conjunction with their larger companions, the Large Wolves pushed underneath the shield walls to rend the Orc Warriors’ thick ankles and calves. Once they were able to lock on, they used the strength of their entire bodies to drag the higher-level enemies to the ground to savage them in pairs.
