Anir Dari
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Chapter 36: Encircled
🕑 Added 2022-03-27 23:50:05 +0000 UTCThe soldiers held their ground, their shields bearing the load of a pack of bulls. Enchantments on their armors, shields, and swords flared up to push back against the overwhelming force.
Each one was an awakened, all classless, weak, and terrible in front of real danger but in numbers they were strong. In the future, if they survive this ordeal, they would choose between three traditional roles in the army, that of a [Warrior], [Scout], or [Archer].
Most end up with those classes, their talents, and Gifts not up to par to get the sufficient skills and achievements for better variants.
Though mayhaps this disaster would yield beautiful gems amongst those who survive.
Above them, arrows flew down onto the bull-packed street. The leather of the bulls barely stopped the enchanted arrow from digging into their flesh, and in one coordinated volley, the herd was decimated into half its size.
Fear gripped the eyes of the bulls, and in synchronicity, they aborted their attempts to go over the shield wall and retreated into the depths of the inner city.
The soldiers slumped, their arms shaking, barely able to hold up their swords and shields. Some instantly collapsed, men from the backlines instantly put them on a stretcher and hurried towards the healers' tent.
Others were unmoving, dull-eyed. They were mourned with a rite from a priest, hoping for them to find glory and honor in Mercy's crystal embrasse.
The houses that structured the battlefield were on the verge of collapse, their stone cracking in several spots like webs. Their inhabitants had long fled, but those who were tardy were still trickling through the corridor or dead.
Alex and his clones were in such a house, staring down upon the battlefield. His crew was now armored and equipped with the sword and shield. All along the way, they encountered dead soldiers and dead monsters, and through the whole way, it illustrated a picture of the army slowly digging deeper towards the dungeon.
The equipment was so strewn around that Alex had hidden a stash of 20 sets in an abandoned dried well. For once, things were going well for him. At the cost of countless people's lives and a disaster that would take the city years to recover from.
Walking in soldiers' armor was a danger, of course, he could be mistaken for a looter - which he was to an extent - but he liked this armor. It was light and flexible, unfortunately, he couldn't activate the enchantments to further boost their efficacy.
Perhaps everyone would just assume that they were a squad of soldiers. There were eight personnel in total, a formidable small team. With two bows in the rear, five swords and shields at the front, and a commander in the center, Alex would bet that they could take on someone with a class easily.
Suddenly, a boom echoed throughout the sky. Alex dunked beneath the ledge of the roof and took a peek towards the source of the sound. Eve had taken its leave long ago, and night had fallen, the only source of light were Mercy's crystal radiance and Skorn's blazing infernos.
The sky over the city was lit up by a different sort of light, that of blue fire and blood-redd spears. Three mages lead a host of other mages as they battled aerial enemies; they were far closer to the Lord's Mansion than the ground troops.
Another boom turned Alex's head towards the walls, and his mouth was wide open as a part of the wall, something that was a constant presence in his life, had fallen.
Dust had flown into the air, it was not enough to obscure the utter monstrosity that was walking through the wall. It was a titan lizard, the height of several buildings, it crushed buildings beneath its steps like paper.
Now that he looked around, Alex saw that all of the walls and their soldiers were unable to stop a hoard of aerial monsters coming in from the wilderness.
Alex cursed beneath his breath, now they were fighting attacks from the inside and from the outside. And if his limited [Leadership] skill told him anything, attacks from within and from without would lead to a slaughter.
He had to help in some way to prevent this, Alex didn't have any illusion that he would be able to have a significant effect but he could do whatever he can do, even if it's small.
After all, his mother would be in danger if this all fell. He didn't think even Father Orkon could protect everyone from a horde of Skorn's servants.
Alex descended from the roof, and ran through the alleyways that were barren from any monsters and any soldiers. Overhead, he saw a bell tower with it's too shaven off. He turned towards his team and gave them a salute.
"I think it's time we enact the plan." Alex said excitedly. "I will be sending you constantly into monster infested territory, and you will fight them till you are injured. Once that happens, you will come back here and I will respawn you."
"We are going to conduct a battle of attrition then?" A clone asked.
"No, we will try to clear a path towards the dungeon core." Alexander pointed towards the center of the city. "This bell tower is the respawning location, and remember that it is critical that you don't die. The equipment you are holding is very important."
Alex nodded towards the clones as they marched towards danger. He wanted to do this since day one of him acquiring this gift, an autonomous hunting party that would earn him experience while he was idling around.
Entering the bell tower, Alex ascended the stairway and when he reached the top he got a good view of the conflict. Beyond the walls of the city was a horde of monsters, each one segregated into groups and their leaders were still, waiting, displaying patience and intelligence.
The center of the city, where once a mansion had been built, was a crater the size of a small lake. From it numerous monsters crawled out or were summoned from thin air.
Alex prayed to Mercy that this would not spell the end for this city.
