by Charles Dean
Slowly but surely his Guildmates were answering the call to arms. Almost every member of the Guild had logged in by this point. The small boat was packed with bodies pressed up against one another as they logged in and used the precious store Recall Stones from the Guild bank to teleport to the swiftly moving pinnace. The Stones were a rare drop from killing mobs, and Maddock had planned on saving them to use much later in case they needed to attack a hard-to-reach location, but this was as good an excuse as he could think of at the moment to dip into their precious supply. Despite the tedious nature of their trip, there was an energy level amongst them that was almost palpable. The first White-Wing sail had been spotted on the horizon to the northwest a half hour earlier and the buzz had grown since then. Despite the suicidal nature of their mission everyone was eagerly watching the skyline for enemy ships that would signal their approach to the larger fleet.
Maddock had spent much of the time making a lazy course to the northeast trolling with very little sail since he originally agreed to this crazy idea. If this were going to work, he figured his best guess would be to approach the White-Wing fleet from behind once they made contact with land and go from there. After that, it was guess work at best as for what would happen.
Beside him, the small form of Elaine slowly materialized, her strawberry blonde hair shimmering immediately under the glare of the sun. As soon as she landed, she stretched her arms over her head, almost clubbing the person next to her with the massive Staff she carried.
"So, we're gonna get to play a little today, huh?" she asked.
"I'm surprised it took you this long to log in," Maddock answered, "You're usually the first in line to blow things up."
"Well, I thought about it earlier," she answered, "but I decided that taking a nap seemed more interesting than this long boat ride. Fire Mages and big oceans don't always make the best combination, ya know. Besides, who would want to spend all that time cramped up on a boat with all you smelly cows?" She wrinkled her nose as if the smell was unbearable.
"Hey! I'll have you know I'm full bull, thank you!" Xane shouted from amidships.
"Oh, you're full of bull, alright." Elaine shot back, smiling sweetly. Xane looked taken aback as much as a Minotaur was capable, but everyone else laughed heartily.
"Sail! West!" Shane shouted from the bow of the ship. He had resumed his former position there crouched against the railing as soon as he had relogged. For the most of the trip, he had remained silent, as per usual, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon for any sign of the enemy fleet. Collectively, everyone turned to where he pointed. There, silhouetted against the horizon, was a single enemy sail.
"Oooh, just in time, too," Elaine said happily.
Maddock turned the boat hard to port, bringing it in line directly in course to follow the other ship. "Any others visible out there?" he asked.
Shane was silent for a moment before answering, "None. It's alone."
"Ho ho, poor guy's in for it," Thorn said, cracking his knuckles in his large mailed fists.
"Hold tight!" Maddock shouted. Like magic, the boat rocked backward as it picked up speed and quickly began closing in on their target. Time that had suddenly seemed to have stopped before quickly flew by as the enemy ship grew closer and closer. Just as the enemy ship came within range, Shane stood up at the bow of the ship and fired a single Arrow into the air. The Arrow struck the single mast of the smaller enemy ship and a barrage of Arrows rained down in a storm on its members. Three more archers followed his lead and began training their volleys of AOEs on the vessel as well.
"Hey! No fair starting without me!" Elaine shouted angrily. "Stupid, short, Mage casting range," she grumbled. Pushing her way to the bow of the ship she elbowed the archers out of her way. "Make way, coming through, lady doing work!" Elaine lifted her Staff above her head and lobbed a fireball towards the deck of the enemy ship. The fireball arced through the air and landed with a fiery explosion that sent gusts of flame curling over the decking.
"Hold!" Maddock shouted. "Take it intact if we can!" He quickly began slowing down the pinnace, pulling up just short of the much smaller boat. The sound of bodies hitting the water sounded out all around as everyone jumped overboard and quickly began swimming towards the boat.
Despite begin in Heavy Steel Armor, Thorn won the race. "Four bodies!" he shouted back. "All NPCs, not even worth looting." He kicked the charred remains of one of the dead White-Wings for emphasis.
"Sails!" Shane suddenly shouted.
Looking up, Maddock couldn't help stare a moment in shock. They had been so engrossed in chasing down the single enemy ship that he had forgotten to check their position on his map. Before them, the horizon was covered in ships of varying sizes. They were close enough that he could make out some of the larger ships of war. Without knowing it, they had almost sailed directly into the bulk of the White-Wing invasion force. "Actually . . . "
"Thorn, despawn that boat! Fast! Everyone back on board!" Maddock ordered.
It took only seconds for everyone to make it back onto the pinnace and Maddock to set sail again. He aimed the boat directly towards the rearmost vessels.
"Captain's lost it!" Thorn laughed as he hauled himself up over the railing of the moving ship, the newly captured ship figurine in his inventory. "Oh ho, I get it. Just like Xanthm!" The massive warrior pulled his two-handed Axe free from his back and readied himself.
When they were about a hundred yards out, Maddock let go of the helm with the boat still moving. "She's all yours, Ku," Maddock said and jumped overboard without waiting for her to respond. Even underwater he could hear the muffled sounds of bodies hitting the water around him. He quickly kicked himself to the surface and began swimming the remaining distance to the shore. Even a few hundred yards out, the swim was easy. They were a bit farther north than where they had originally set sail hours before from the small harbor, and the water here was much smoother. "Probably why they chose this as a staging point," he thought to himself.
As they approached the rearmost ships, Maddock turned and treaded water for a moment. He put a single finger to his lips signaling for everyone to remain as silent as possible, then quickly turned and resumed his swim at the head of pack. As they swam between ships, Maddock couldn't help but notice that they were all devoid of any White-Wing activity. "Did they seriously leave all these ships unattended? Are they really that confident?" he questioned himself, "Or . . ." Glancing up, it immediately became apparent what had happened to the White-Wings. The sky was literally filled with thousands of them.
Maddock rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. Turning in the water again, he motioned towards several members at the rear of the pack. They paused, confused at what he wanted at first, but quickly got the point. Breaking off from the others, they began climbing on board the closest ships and de-summoning them. Even if everyone else died in this attack, there was a good chance those guys would make it out with a fortune in pilfered ships. "Thanks, White-Wings!" he laughed to himself.
Leaving behind those members to work on stealing the boats, the rest of the group quickly made the rest of the swim to shore, wading the rest of the way as soon as their feet found purchase on the sand underneath the waves. Maddock strode through the waves, pulling free his large Two-Handed Sword as soon as his waist was above water the water line. Behind him, he could hear the sound of weapons being drawn as the others finished their swim and came up behind him.
A group of White-Wings stood milling about on the edge of the waterline with their backs turned towards the ocean, watching the battle in the distance. Several gestured with their hands when one particular spell or another caused an explosion of light.
"Looks like everything is going as planned," he could hear one of them saying, "If we keep pushing from the north, we will collapse the enemy line entirely." The White-Wing pointed with his hand gesturing towards where the bulk of the White-Wings could be seen clustered together in the air. "Those heathens will be cleansed in the
light of the Almighty!"
Maddock's Sword swept out in an underhanded attack severing the White-Wing’s arm at the elbow, even as it pointed. Before any of the others could respond, he followed up by kicking the White-Wing in the back, toppling him over into several of the others clustered around him. Shouts of alarm and confusion went up from the rest of the White-Wings, not yet aware that death was crawling out of the water behind them. Stepping forward, Maddock drove his Sword point down through the gut of the fallen White-Wing and punched another square in the face sending him over as well. He lunged forward, wrenching his Sword free from the fallen avian, and in the same motion brought the blade upward in a slicing motion, cutting open another from crotch to neck.
"Oh yeah!" Thorn shouted out in his deep voice. He stood above one of the White-Wings that had been knocked to the ground. Hefting his Two-Handed Axe above his head with both hands, he brought it down on the White-Wing’s skull, splitting it open. "Now we're talking!"
Around him, the other members of his Guild made quick work of the small group of White-Wings that remained. Several had either tried to run or take to the air in flight, but they were all quickly dispatched by Shane and the other archers.
Maddock made a quick survey of the scene around them. Other small groups of White-Wings that had been milling about had quickly taken flight to join the safety of their brethren in the skies. A few of these were gunned down by the archers, and a variety of spells laced through the air, but only a few actually connected. For the moment, they were left alone on the beach.
"There," Maddock pointed towards a small rise out above the beach, "We need to get vision on what's actually going on." He started off in a trot with the others following closely behind. As they crested the rise, Maddock scanned the scene in front of him trying to take it all in as quickly as possible. The two armies were spread out before him engaged in combat. One, much smaller than the other, looked as if it were attempting to defend the beach from the much larger White-Wing force. Just as the White-Wing on the beach had described before Maddock had unceremoniously ended his conversation, the White-Wing army was spread out across the skies. It looked like they had loaded up the northern flank in an attempt to pressure the smaller force into collapsing in on itself.
"Is that . . ." Shane began and trailed off. "Is that an army of White-Horns, Black-Wings, and Humans? Fighting together?"
Maddock paid closer attention to the much smaller force, scrutinizing it for its composition for the first time. "Looks like it."
"Hah! I knew it was only a matter of time you Humans wised up and fell in line with us Minotaurs!" Xane exclaimed.
"Why in the world would any Human ever follow a stupid Minotaur? You dumb cows couldn't even fight your way out of a cattle pen. All you need is a branding iron and a cattle prod, and you could conquer the entire Race!" Elaine exclaimed.
"Hey, now," Bear exclaimed, "watch yourself, little girl."
"No. Seriously. Just say the words, 'All you can eat steak buffet' and it’s over!" she said, her face a mask of fake surprise and innocence.
Maddock shook his head. "No idea what's going on, but those questions are going to have to wait till later. There!" He pointed towards the junction closest to them where the two lines were enjoined in combat, the White-Wings diving towards the forces on the ground. "That's our spot. Form up, stay close, and don't get separated once we're engaged. If you start taking Damage, fall back and let the healers do their work."
The Guild formed up close ranks, warriors surrounding the softer targets of archers, mages, and healers placing them in the center of their forces. They quickly edged their way to the base of the hill, as of yet unnoticed by the combatants stretched out below them. "Alright kids, time to go to work. Archers!"
At the center of the phalanx, archers drew back their bows, taking aim on the unsuspecting forces below them. Their first volley of Arrows rained out, splitting in the air above the heads of both armies, raining a barrage of Arrows down onto the combatants. As soon as the attack was finished channeling, they followed up by launching a round of Explosive Arrows. Everywhere the shots landed was marked by a small explosion of light.
Both armies, caught unaware, suddenly found themselves being peppered with a hailstorm of Arrows. Even at max range, Maddock could tell the effect it had. Bodies quickly began falling on both sides where the fire was concentrated the heaviest, and their attacks overlapped. The Minotaurs, who were heartier than many others on the field, quickly turned into walking pincushions with arrows sticking from their armor. They spun about in confusion, trying to figure out where the attack had come from. Those who didn't fall in the first barrage, however, were quickly rocked by the second round of Explosive Arrows that sent bodies flying.
"Move up!" Maddock shouted, and the group edged forward. The archers, at the center of the stack, continued plucking their shots as they moved. Having used most of the tricks from their small arsenal of attacks, they were limited to normal Arrow attacks. The Barrage would naturally take more time to channel, being a more powerful AoE, but their explosive shot was much quicker, and they fired it off at targets as it recycled.
Their first round of attacks had left a small arc of dead warriors in the enemy lines. Around the edges of the attack, fighters who hadn't been killed immediately began pushing backwards into their own lines, fighting to get through their comrades and out of the line of fire. A few of the braver warriors, however, made the mistake of charging directly at Maddock’s position. Those that weren't killed by the archers as they rushed them were quickly dispatched by Maddock and the other warriors who held strong around the outside of the phalanx.
The lull didn't last long, however, as more and more members of the two groups took notice of Maddock's small force on the edge of their larger conflict. Arrows soon began raining down on them from enemy archers, and warriors from each side decided to join their fellows in rushing Maddock's position.
Maddock swept his Sword up, blocking a White-Wings attack as it dove in on him from above. He answered the attack with an overhead slice that sank into the White-Wing's neck where it met the shoulder, quickly sending it to the ground. Beside him, Thorn had similar luck with one of the White-Wings that had dive bombed him. His massive Axe slit the bird's stomach open, dropping him to the ground before being dispatched back to his sun-god with its head split open.
Balls of fire and ice arced through the air sending alternative waves of hot and cold whizzing past as the Frost and Fire Mages began opening fire on the White-Wings as they tried to attack from above. White-Wings burst into flaming balls in the air, flying about madly, hopelessly doomed to burn out before they ever finished their attack or made it to the ground. Others froze solid and dropped from the air uselessly to land on others on the field, crushing them beneath their weight.
Faster and faster fighters from both sides stopped attacking one another and instead chose to attack the new Guild that had taken to the field. Tendrils of fire and ice snaked out from the Mages across the ground, rooting warriors as they rushed the stack, holding them in place where they were quickly hacked to pieces by the melee fighters. As this happened more and more, the warriors rotated from their protective positions on the sides of the phalanx and formed a stronger front line protecting the others in the rear. Before long, they were engaged in a solid line of combat all across their small front that, if left unchecked, would force their position to become untenable.
Maddock found himself faced up against another Human wielding a smaller version of his own Two-Handed Sword. The two fought back and forth, each parrying the other's attacks. Maddock thrust forward, attempting to skewer the other fighter, only to have his Sword deflected as the warrior dodged to the side and blocked Maddock's blade with his own. Regaining his balance, Maddock quickly countered with a series of quick overhead attacks. As the fighter brought his Sword up to parry, Thorn swept his Axe in from the side, sinking his Axe into the warrior’s gut. The warrior quickly dropped to his knees, and
Maddock finished him off with a swipe of his blade.
As soon as the Human fell, his place in the line was filled by a towering Minotaur carrying a large Two-Handed Axe. Maddock was forced to dodge to the side in order to avoid the swing of his Axe as it came down in the place he had just occupied mere moments before. Maddock carried himself around in a circle with his momentum and brought his Sword around in a wide arc, aiming for the bull's exposed back. He was rewarded for his efforts by the sound of the Minotaur crying out in shock at the sudden pain. Before the Minotaur could collect himself, Maddock swept his Sword low, severing the tendons at the back of the bull’s knee, sending it toppling backwards off balance. As the Minotaur fell, a small space opened up in the line giving him time to shout orders to the others.
"Hold the line! Hold the line! Elaine! Make space! Make. Space!"
In the rear of his small group of forces he could make out the lithe form of the Fire Mage as she danced away from a White-Wing's diving attack. Rather than blasting it with a spell, she instead hefted her Staff in both hands and wielded it as a club, striking the avian in the back of its head as it flew past. The feeble attack did little to the White-Wing other than momentarily slow its attack, but it was enough for Shane to sink an Arrow into the back of its head. As the bird fell to the ground, Elaine caught sight of Maddock shouting below. Her Robes had come open during the fighting and the hood had fallen back. Her hair had begun coming loose from where she kept it tied back in a tight ponytail and was beginning to frizz out in loose strands.
"About time," she shouted back with a smile, obviously enjoying this a little too much. "I was starting to get bored back here!" She scanned the air for any more immediate threats and, not finding any, began quickly directing the other mages.
Several of the healers scattered throughout the group caught on immediately and stopped directing their spells of mending towards the warriors on the front line. Almost in unison, they brought their shields up in front of them and raised their hammers into the air. The air above the group shimmered with a translucent yellow light that seemed to faintly radiate the hues of the rainbow before snapping into place forming protective bubbles that overlapped to create a barrier from ranged attacks. Any spells cast by an enemy mage would fizzle out uselessly as long as the barrier was being channeled, and arrows that pierced through would only do a fraction of their original damage. The spell could be cast immediately, but it also made them relatively useless as a healer for a time afterwards. Further, as long as the spell was being cast, it also prevented the group from moving in any direction. Barrier of Light was one of the few spells in the game that made it impossible to move while the spell was being channeled.
