The Dragon's Wrath: Shadows in the Flame (33 page)

Chapter 106: Enemy Approaching

(Tuesday, February 1st Game Day / Friday, May 14th Real Day)

“Members of Scout Team ONE have spotted and marked the enemy position Sir,” stated a warrior as he reported from outside of the town’s walls. “Do you wish for us to make contact?”

“No, hold off for now,” I said while motioning for Astrid and Soren. “We’ll get Gold Squadron to conduct the ambush, have the team members stand down for now. You’ll assist in the retreat, keep up the good work.”

As Astrid and Soren made their way over, I decided to go over the details of the mission once more in my head. My newly implemented unit organization had been based on tactical proficiency with teams formed up specifically for carrying out clandestine operations. The warriors were split into two separate Scout Teams that were each commanded by a senior warrior while the offensive casters formed up the Gold and Red Squadron which filled the role of the Assault Team.

Priests had their own detachment that I called the Medical Unit out of simplicity and they were assigned as support to the teams on a need-basis. The teams would be conducting the hit and run operations from the safety of the forests, attacking and retreating at irregular intervals to keep the advancing army off-guard.

Fighting them head-on would lead to my destruction in quick order, so this was my counter. We wouldn’t cause much permanent damage but a large mob of players tired from a long journey may be a little agitated after receiving multiple attacks without the opportunity to retaliate. I was counting on that at the very least.

That itchy trigger finger of theirs was what I wanted… it’s what I needed. They needed to make a mistake, to be overconfident of their overwhelming power and to charge blindly through my partially open gates and in turn… grace my new dire wolves with their presence. Two dire wolves, captured alive and now held in pens on the inner side of the gate, fenced in so that once one enters the town there is nowhere to go.

The wooden stakes would funnel players directly into the path of the wolves, as the fenced in clearing was concealed behind the walls. An area where the wolves could play or escape through the gate, the gate which would be blocked by numerous enemy troops. The wolves of course were quite angry with us humans at the moment, so I imagined the end result would be a favorable one for me. There really wasn’t anything to lose, either way.

“Sir Sigurd, what would you have us do?” asked Astrid as Soren stood silently nearby, with no intent to speak.

“Ready your Squadrons, Scout Team ONE is waiting on location as support,” I stated clearly as I rested my hands on my hips. “You know the parameters, hit and run, repeat when the time is right. I’m expecting zero casualties. Continue until you’re out of resources then double back to base.”

“Yes Sir!” shouted Astrid with a devious grin as Soren simply nodded.

Watching as the two gathered their subordinate casters and headed out, the ten mages with four priests began their jog off into the forest in relative silence. The only thing left was to wait. The log bridge had already been thinned by a few logs so that the narrow path could only support three bodies shoulder to shoulder instead of the previous six.

In addition, the moat had been filled with stakes and spikes and were well concealed by the muddy bottom that obscured the depths. My temporary pet wolves had also been denied sustenance as they were locked in their wooden cages. Their temperament had been rather nasty. They were a pair too… a male and female. They were my trump card for this fight.

“Hey Sigurd,” called out Emily as she approached carefully, treading softly around the wolf pens that partially blocked the second path through the gate. “Val and I are ready if you need us… but uh I have to ask, where did you get these two?”

As she pointed at the wolves, I couldn’t help but let a grin escape.

“You know how I said… that I wasn’t exactly a boy scout?” I said with a slight chuckle as I glanced out into the distance.

“Uh sure, you said something like that,” she replied.

“Well, let’s just say I’m a proud new owner of two young dire wolf pups,” I vaguely explained while giving her a quick wink.

“That doesn’t explain much,” she complained with a frown as her hands were placed on her hips in counter to mine. Leaning her head slightly forward, she shook it slightly from side to side as if she was extremely disappointed with my answer.

“A mom and dad chasing after the kidnapper who had their children,” I said with a shrug while glancing back down the river to see if the oncoming army was near. “Seems self-explanatory to me, what’s not to get?”

“Dude that’s dark,” she said with her head almost snapping back.

“Yeah, a bit,” I replied with another shrug, as my shoulders used a wider range of motion this time around. “It wasn’t that easy though, took a lot of wrestling, a lot of rope… and quite a few broken bones. Surprised myself actually, that I pulled it off.”

“Pfft, like when I broke your ribs in our spar?” she teased with that silly grin of hers as she stuck her tongue out slightly.

“You only broke two, the wolves broke my femur and about twelve ribs.”

“Whatever, you still lost.”

“I admit, you have me beat in hand-to-hand combat,” I said while thinking over the events that had transpired. Emily was more than capable in close combat but without the extended reach of a weapon, I questioned her effectiveness in real combat.

Her knees did hurt though.

Surprisingly effective with the proper technique, it made me want to explore Muay Thai a bit more. She used elbows and knees and even had iron gauntlets specially crafted so she could deliver a devastating punch as well. She was a new-age Tifa as far as I was concerned but it worked for her.

I wouldn’t admit that I held back though.

“They’re here,” I said, cutting into our idle chat as I turned back and walked through the gate with Emily close behind. “Kate, stay up in the tower with Valerie, you two can provide cover and healing from inside.”

“As you command master,” replied Kate with a slight bow.

The hint of displeasure in her voice was easy to hear and the accompanying peculiar choice of words made me wonder what was wrong with her as she had been acting strangely for the past few days.

Immediately after Kate’s reply, Emily shot a dirty glance my way as I tossed my head to the side and shrugged my right shoulder with my left arm outstretched as I loosened my bow. Motioning for a portion of the warriors to enter the other towers, there were a handful of warriors standing by that would join me on the walls.

Taking position as Emily stood there and watched, the glimmers in the distance of my Scout Team and two Squadrons returning indicated that we had maybe ten minutes before the main force arrived. The enemy was approaching rapidly… and that was a good sign for me. Things were moving in the right direction for now.

“I don’t see anything,” said Emily as she placed her hand over her brow and squinted, attempting to focus on the distant objects.

“They’re about a mile out inside the forest on your left,” I explained with little interest as I was going over the plan again in my head. “We’ve got about ten minutes before the enemy appears within range.”

“How can you see them?”

“Pick up a bow, it’s worth the active abilities,” I stated plainly.

“Thanks captain social,” she shot back with a sigh.

Eight minutes passed as the casters and warriors entered the village with the enemy army hot on their heels. Motioning for them to continue through the gate and towards the second miniature interior gate that had recently been constructed, they ran straight through without a hitch. As soon as they passed the second gate, I signaled with two thumbs pointing down.

Closing the secondary gate by dropping wooden posts into the previously dug holes, the warriors then moved to the walls as the enemy force was within range as the casters ran into the nearest towers.

The main gate still wide open as two warriors pretended to struggle to close it, we began our attack as the enemy was now within two-hundred yards. Rapidly closing the distance with only ten to twenty seconds separating us, chants filled the air as arrows whizzed off into the distance.

As the enemy pulled within fifty yards the
twangs
and
thwacks
of bowstrings reverberated all around me as the pop and whistle of shadow flares alerted me to their presence. The flares shot into the horde with their purple and black trails streaking through the sky, lingering only for a moment as the massive cluster of enemies continued to sprint towards the open gate. Then as they entered within thirty yards, the sounds of crackling electricity began to fill the space as lightning split the air and thunder erupted from the towers in a brilliant flash of white light.

Multiple casts of chain lightning surging forth from the towers as dozens of players were hit and a few were stunned, the masses continued to rush without bothering to stop as the first line hit the water and screams rang out. Unable to stop their advance as the men and women crowded behind, bodies were piled on top of one another as they fell in ten at a time.

Through the open gate the players that had managed to cross the bridge sprinted into the open courtyard only to find that they were surrounded from all sides as a second gate appeared in the distance partially closed. Rushing forward without any thought to their actions, dozens of players filtered and funneled in as all of my troops on the walls ducked down and turned to fire on the players that had made it inside.

Ignoring those on the outside, the crowds pushed through as the interior walls began to fill up to nearly half capacity. Realizing the time had come, I shouted for the next step to begin, “FREE THEM.” In an instant the two warriors who had been pretending to close the gate and were now positioned by each cage, pulled on the rope that lowered the door to the dire wolf cages.

Loud growls practically cutting through the shouts of hundreds of players, the wolves dashed out and began their rampage as the first man to fall had his head ripped off in a shower of blood. With both wolves pouncing and tearing through the crowd, the players were forced to fend for themselves as they panicked and fell one by one.

“FIRE AT WILL,” I shouted.

As I began to chant and draw electricity between my palms, a dark cloud had appeared above the center of the pack as lightning danced around and illuminated the condensed water vapor floating above their heads. Watching as nearly a hundred players had pushed and made their way through into the shooting gallery, the dire wolves had already killed twenty by my count as my casters alternated one chain lightning after another while holding off on the lightning  bolts in an effort to conserve mana.

Shadow flares continued to be chain cast into the masses as more and more players began to fall with none of my own yet succumbing due to the safety of the multiple walls and towers. Raining arrows down from a position of relatively safety, a single warrior slipped off the wall and fell into the trap and found himself quickly killed by a mass of players looking for blood.

Shouts then filled the air as the commanders of the enemy troops began to organize and pushed a counter attack against the wolves. Slaying one dire wolf as they attempted to force the other into submission, my lightning strike hit and obliterated eight adventurers on the spot as the deafening crack of true thunder instantly sent all of our ears into a state of perpetual ringing while the true lightning blinded everyone who had been looking.

With my vision slightly blurry as I nearly forgot to shield my eyes, my ears rang with a constant drone as I began to cast my second lightning strike near the exit. Without a portcullis to halt their retreat a lightning strike would serve as my gate. Cutting off their retreat as I focused on the first gate, the second cloud took shape as five seconds passed and the second bolt struck.

Numerous players caught a second time by the incredible crowd control effects found themselves clutching their faces and ears as they were cut down by ranged fire. Two-hundred enemy troops now at half strength, the second dire wolf fell as multiple spears found their mark.

Hopping over the wall and onto the edge of the moat where stakes hadn’t been placed, I quickly ran over to the gate and lifted the logs that made up the bridge. Tossing them over the moat with near superhuman strength, their exit had been removed as I turned behind the walls and began another chant unannounced to the enemy.

“Through power, darkness turns to light, render all to ash,” I muttered under my breath as I turned slowly around the corner and faced the seventy or so players that were left. Hands extended outwards as four intertwined bolts of lightning twirled and rotated about between my palms, I held until the cast had fully-charged and then released.

“Chain Lightning!”

The quick flash and crack of the surging bolt following the impact as a player was caught unaware. Hitting the man in the back and splitting and arcing off onto four others, all five hit the ground stunned from the electricity as I pulled my bow and began to fire at the downed individuals.

Thwack
.

Rang my bow as an arrow landed cleanly into a neck.