Chapter 53: The Storm

Chapter 53: The Storm

Reivyn stood upon the ramparts and stared off into the distance. The last group of villagers, the first ones Reivyn and his Party had encountered, were finally making their way into the city below. The atmosphere was charged. Almost literally. Reivyn could feel the increased mana density as it spread all the way to Magron.

The other aspect was the palpable anxiety he could feel from the other people lining the ramparts, waiting. The Lord's Retinue, the City Guard, the Count's personal Mage Corps, and volunteer Adventurers all waited for the impending crisis. The local church branch was manned by mundane believers, though, so they didn't have any Casters available to assist in warding off the undead.

The Scouts reported that many of the goblins had simply bolted in all directions, but the orcs had corralled several thousand of them to act as shields in human-wave tactics as they scoured the countryside for places to pillage. Nobody is really too concerned with that, though, Reivyn ruminated. The real concern is that the Scouts were unable to make their way past the horde, so we have no idea as to the numbers or activities of the undead forces that are sure to follow.

Reivyn glanced towards the location of the barracks. He couldn't actually see it through the rampart or the people milling about, but he recalled the scene of several villager children reuniting with their parents.

Luckily they all made it ahead of the monsters; however, we have yet to make it through the ordeal. Reivyn's face was grim despite the temporarily happy incident.

Reivyn and his Party had relaxed within the Count's Manor, all of their needs seen to by the maids and butlers, as they waited for the time they would be needed to fight. It wasn't hard to gauge the timing, either. The steady climb of the mana had been an obvious sign.

The three girls also managed to convince the maids to use their connections to keep them abreast of the goings-on of the children we escorted, Reivyn chuckled to himself. I didn't realize they had grown so attached so quickly. The news also contained information about what was happening in the barracks. Put that together with the mana increasing, and it gave a clear sign of when we would be needed.

They had encountered a messenger departing to the lord's manor to fetch them as they arrived at the barracks. Reivyn had assumed his position as a de facto Aide. More in the line of being able to utilize my Party's experience and abilities more than any actual responsibilities, he thought.

The Knight-Captain and Knight-Lieutenant weren't playing any games. Anything that wasn't necessarily super important, they would allow Reivyn to assist them, like giving and receiving messages to the administrative soldiers, but they kept a tight reign on everything involving the deployment of the combat troops.

He stood a little ways off from the Knight-Lieutenant. They hadn't had anything to do for quite a while now, other than wait like everyone else, but he had found something he could trust Teilon and Kimberly with. When he had been running messages back and forth, Teilon had said that his new Tier 2 Class was perfectly suited for such a thing during the upcoming conflict, so they would be acting as runners.

Reivyn surveyed the troops arranged upon the battlements. The Lord's Retinue was first in line, and the more experienced City Guardsmen were behind them. The less experienced guards were still keeping order within the city. The city gates in the other three directions other than the one leading toward the Dungeon were still open, and they would be until the enemies were spotted. The Count had ordered that anyone leaving was responsible for themselves, but he wouldn't keep anyone here against their wills, other than his military personnel, of course.nove(l)bi(n.)com

There had been a mass exodus upon news of the potential Dungeon Break, and it had increased further upon confirmation from the Scouts. It had slowed to a trickle, since, though, and only those going it alone could be seen still occasionally leaving. Anyone with family wasn't willing to brave the dangers of being outside the walls this late anymore.

Behind the experienced City Guardsman, dispersed evenly across the wall, were the members of the Mage Corps. They consisted of fifty low Tier 3 and high Tier 2 Mages, several having graduated from the Magic Academy not too long ago. Adventurers stood interspersed between the units, located wherever their specialty was focused. There aren't that many additional Casters from the Adventurers, Reivyn thought with a frown. Maybe just over a hundred or so. There are several hundred archers and melee combatants, each, in contrast to that. I guess it makes sense; the number is a little over 10%.

From the reports of the thousands upon thousands of goblins, I can assume there's probably around a thousand or so Orcs, and depending on how many undead are on the third floor, or even lower, there will probably be several thousand Revenants, at least. The goblins won't be a problem, especially with these reinforced walls, but I sure hope this is enough to fend off the undead.

Things weren't looking optimistic. One of the first things Reivyn had done after getting settled in the lord's manor was to send a letter to his parents in the Capital. Thankfully they left ages ago with my sisters. That was one thing Reivyn was happy about. The other members of his Party had done the same for their families, even Erik.

Reivyn turned back to watching the countryside. Everything seemed peaceful on the surface. Reivyn watched as the wind blew the crops. There were multiple, visible lines that could be seen to show just where it was. The sky was blue and dotted with pleasant-looking clouds. A flock of birds took off from their position foraging for bugs and other things to eat among the tall plants.

"Standby!" Knight-Lieutenant Brand suddenly called. Reivyn was pulled out of his contemplation. Of course. Those birds didn't decide to all fly away for no reason. Something spooked them.

Everyone got quiet on the wall as it became obvious that something was moving beneath, through the fields as the crops no longer shifted according to just the wind.

"Conserve your Mana! Only Cast as many spells as you can quickly recover from. We don't know how much time we'll have after the goblins and orcs make their assault," Brand continued his instruction to the Casters. Everyone knew what they were about to face, but the Adjutant didn't want someone to get caught up in the moment and burn through their Mana Pool before the real threat even arrived.

Hmm... I actually have a lot of Mana, now. I wonder... Reivyn reached down and picked up the bow he had acquired. He knocked an arrow, and then he activated his Mana Sight and concentrated on it. Is there a way to optimize this?

Reivyn used his Mana Manipulation to quickly cover the arrow. Next, he pulled it away from the arrow, but he maintained the shape and form. He added the necessary braids to the structure to give it some actual power. Ok, that did actually cost a lot less mana, and it was quicker than trying to build one of my own from scratch. Now, what do I do...?

Reivyn concentrated on the entire structure of the mana arrow he had created, and he pushed more mana into it. Once it had reached a certain threshold, he once again split it, and one mana arrow suddenly became two. Ok, about the same mana expenditure total, let's try one more thing. He concentrated as he pumped several times more mana into the first mana arrow, and he split them into a veritable bundle of mana arrows.

That's way too much mana. Do I need the whole structure? Reivyn gathered up the mana consisting of all the arrows he had made, and he converted them all into the arrow heads with just a bit of the shaft remaining. That's more like it. Lot's more impact from this setup. The mana arrows still catch some of the drag from the wind, though, so can I overlap these while keeping them separate?

He put thought to action and pulled them all together, once more, but he kept them completely distinct from one another. Hmmm, it doesn't exactly work. They still want to combine into one, dense arrowhead. Maybe I'm overthinking things again, let's try one more thing.

Reivyn placed his dense mana arrowhead overlapping with the real arrow, and he placed some anchors within it. He placed as many anchors as he wanted arrowheads, and he designed them to deteriorate with a small pop after only a few seconds.

While he had been experimenting with his Mana Manipulation, the goblins had finally come into view, and as soon as they spotted the wall unimpeded, their loud screeching could be heard as they broke into a frenzied run.

The other archers had already begun releasing their arrows into the coming horde, and the city defenses had some scorpions scattered atop the wall that launched huge javelin projectiles into the horde, skewering many goblins all at once as well as causing mayhem from the force of the impact. The Casters occasionally lobbed spells that exploded to cause area-wide damage, but it was few and far between as they conserved their mana.

Melissa and Larissa were nearby, and they also launched an occasional attack at the horde of goblins below. Melissa would create a sphere of ice, Larissa would fill it with her Inferno Blast Spell, and then Melissa would launch the combination spell to devastating effect. They had gotten a lot more adept at combining their spells after the experience they had gained from the Dungeon delves.

Erik simply stood to the side, silently watching everything around. He never dropped his guard, not even against the other defenders. Teilon and Kimberly accompanied him in their silent watch. They didn't have much to do yet, as they had never worked on their ranged Skills. That's an oversight that needs to be addressed, Reivyn thought.

Reivyn lifted his bow and loosed his experimental arrow without even taking proper aim. There were so many goblins, it wasn't really necessary. He watched with bated breath as the arrow sailed through the air. Once it was close to the target he had randomly fired at, he watched with Mana Sight as his mana arrow exploded and showered mana shrapnel in all directions. Including up and away from the goblins below.

Ok, while it kind of worked, as many of the pieces of mana still struck and killed a lot of goblins, that was basically a failure. I should just make a ball of mana with a directional blast to focus it downward.

Reivyn once more summoned his mana, but this time he made a ball with the braids necessary to give it power accompanied by one anchor that would pop in the direction the arrow was facing located at the back of the mana ball. He loosed the arrow and watched once more. This time it was much more successful, and it cost considerably less mana.

Yeah, I was definitely overthinking things. I'm sure there is a Class Skill out there that has a similar effect with actual arrows and such, but I would need to see it and study it to make it right. As it is, against these weaker enemies, a few more of these attacks should be fine. I don't want to burn through my mana too fast, either.

Seconds later the cause for everyone's concern came into view. A large line of Revenants came marching hot on the heels of the fleeing church members.

Reivyn's stomach dropped as he witnessed the scene. Not only do they appear to be moving unimpeded by the mana density, but there also appears to be someone commanding them. No way they would march in an orderly fashion without someone, or something, interfering. Reivyn gulped as he shared a glance with Teilon and Kimberly.

"We'll be fine," Reivyn said to try and reassure his friends.

"Yeah," Teilon nodded. He didn't look like he was convinced. "It's just a bunch of Revenants. No problem."

Reivyn turned back to witness the church soldiers. The ones closest to the Revenant line ran past the first group which intercepted the advancing undead. Their gear cut through the protections inherent to the Revenants, and the Casters fired quick bolts to cause as much damage in as short amount of time possible. They exclusively used their most basic spells in order to conserve their mana properly.

The second line of church soldiers and Adventurers came to a stop about fifty yards back and turned to face the incoming enemies as the others broke off their engagement with a push from their Skills and turned to leap-frog their retreat. Reivyn watched as several of the members were hit with attacks despite their best efforts. Two of them went down and were quickly subsumed by the marching line of undead, but the last one managed to hold on and continue to flee.

"Dammit, they're too close to the Revenants," Knight-Lieutenant Brand's voice entered Reivyn's ears and he turned to face the man as he muttered to himself. "I can't get the Scouts close enough to pick them up without abandoning half of them."

"Sir," Reivyn called out to get his attention. "Give me and my Caster companions some horses," someone clearing their throat interrupted Reivyn, "and their bodyguard. We can ride out, hit the line hard with some magic, and the Scouts can follow behind us to pick them up."

"Make it happen," Knight-Lieutenant Brand didn't hesitate to agree.

Reivyn turned and jerked his head towards the bottom of the wall at Melissa and her two companions. "We'll be right back," Reivyn said to Teilon as they hurried down.

They ran to where the cavalry was on standby, and after a quick explanation, Reivyn and the other three galloped out of the city towards the retreating defenders and line of Revenants. The air turned cold as soon as they entered the encroaching shadows, and Reivyn felt an involuntary shiver.

"Melissa, take the left. Larissa, take the right," Reivyn shouted at his companions over the whistling wind. "I'll go around to the center. Hit them hard and fast!"

They split up, the Scouts following shortly behind them, and they moved to engage the undead. Reivyn followed Larissa, and they quickly passed the line of defenders ready to intercept for their allies. Larissa launched several Inferno Blasts at the line, and Reivyn quickly maneuvered his horse around the line of retreating people in the wake of the explosion.

He saw, and sensed, Melissa also pelting the line of Revenants as he turned to gallop across the line. He pumped mana into his Flame Blade Skill and launched massive attacks at the line as he galloped past, creating an opportunity for the Scouts to sweep in and pick up those retreating. Reivyn heaved a sigh of relief as the plan went off without a hitch.

Suddenly, a stray Revenant came leaping out of the line, and Reivyn's Danger Sense warned him in time to ward off the attack with a parry. The force of the blow almost unseated him, but he managed to hang on with a combination of his Ride and Balance Skills. Reivyn urged his horse to continue galloping, and he broke away from the Revenant that had tried to keep him from getting away.

He glanced back as he galloped away, and he frowned at what he saw. The Revenant that had attacked him was attired in the same uniform as the church soldiers, but its gear had lost its divine empowerment. Its clothes were covered in blood, and gaping wounds. Oozing black blood littered its body all over. The creature still had most of its skin and hair, and Reivyn recognized it.

That's the Sword-Bishop! Reivyn realized as he turned back to putting all of his efforts into escaping back to the city. That can't be good.

The cavalry, along with Reivyn and his Party members, made it back to the city quickly, and the survivors joined the others in collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. There were no robe-wearing priests among them, but Reivyn did spot many of the acquaintances he had made in his time in the Dungeon Town.

He saw Lorin among the Adventurers that had been assisting in holding the Revenants back for the others to flee. He saw the sword-priest that had given them the explanation on the Experience Crystals, and he even saw Cal had collapsed next to his friends in the group that had passed out.

There were many other familiar faces, but Reivyn didn't have time to examine them. He dismounted and walked over to Josn, who had assumed command of the sword-priests after the Sword-Bishop had obviously fallen.

He was standing over the man Reivyn had seen take an attack to the back earlier, and the man was clutching at Josn and pleading for something. Even from this distance, Reivyn could see the man's body twitch uncontrollably, and black veins were spreading across his body from the wound on his back.

Josn lowered his head momentarily, and Reivyn's eyes widened in horror as he watched Josn look back up and then run the man through with his sword, ending his life. A smile was the last expression on the man's face.

"What the hell?!" Reivyn yelled as he ran up to Josn. Josn looked up with expressionless eyes.

"He was beyond saving," Josn said. "You don't know what happens to them. You haven't seen it." His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"But we're in the city now! We might have been able to find help. You just killed him without even trying!"

"Don't be so quick to judge!" Josn yelled back. "That wasn't his first wound, and we lost all of our Priests early on! Do you think I wanted to kill him?! He asked me to! And it was my responsibility! He was about to turn. What more would you have had me do?" Josn sounded defeated.

Reivyn paused for a moment as he considered the words. What else could he have done? The local church doesn't have Caster Priests, they're mundane believers. Reivyn shook his head.

"I don't know, Josn. I don't know," he said. Reivyn clapped his hand on the man's shoulder in silent comfort.

"Report!" Knight-Lieutenant Brand came marching up to the group, quickly recognizing the man in charge of the retreat. Josn noticed the man's air of authority and stood straighter.

"Yes, sir" he began. "There was a group of black-robed men who suddenly appeared, and before anyone noticed what they were up to or could react, they initiated the Dungeon Break. We managed to fight off the first horde of goblins and orcs that appeared through several rips in reality, and they quickly ran off to hunt for easier prey.

"Due to Reivyn's timely information about the Hard Mode of the second floor boss," Josn gestured toward Reivyn, "we knew to quickly destroy any of the Spectres and Dullahans that suddenly showed up. Most of our Priests sacrificed themselves to ensure almost all of them were taken out before they could empower the Dullahans.

"A few slipped through, but those are the least of our worries." Josn's energy quickly depleted as he came to this point, and Knight-Lieutenant Brand was about to urge him on further, but the people noticed the ground begin to tremor. "That's what we need to worry about." Josn continued. "The demons."

"Back to the ramparts!" Brand yelled out. He turned to Josn one last time. "You and yours get some rest. Not only do you need it, you deserve it. If you feel you can fight, you'll get your chance after you take a break. We'll handle it from here."