Chapter 825 Number's Game (2) - The The Field

'So, how bad is our situation?' Ceph asked as soon as he and Eldrian took flight.

'Each gate has at least a few thousand bearing down on it. East seems closer to ten,' Eldrian replied.

'What's the plan, then?' Ceph asked, understanding that the shift they could cause in a large scale battle was limited. While they were strong, they could easily become tied down by a formidable enemy. Or their influence would be limited to only one area.

At least, this was still the image he held himself. The most effective path forward was perhaps to focus on enemy commanders via sneak attacks from the night. However, Eldrian had no so plans. His was much, much simplers.

"We'll charge. Simple as that." Eldrian said, taking our Crystoi. 'Two, you ready?'

'Roger, I will focus on the small fry, so you can aim for their captains or shamans.'

'Just charge?' Ceph asked, dubious.

From up high, the view of the city was something. The illuminance from the divine barrier giving the city a look of cloudy weather. Not quite proper sunlight, but light nonetheless in the dark of night.

Perhaps calling it a calming, healing light would be most fitting. It gave everyone strength, enhanced their natural abilities, and weakened their enemies, too. Truly divine.

Fires were also visible all over the city, along with plenty of wreckage. Some of the fires were protective barriers where people could fall back for safety, others houses and entire districts burning to the ground.

"Yup." Eldrian replied with a smile, "Dive!"

Upon command, Ceph change his trajectory. Performing a swoop at a speed that belied belief to the common player and soldier alike. And unlike a certain missy, Eldrian stayed on Ceph's back as if they did not move at all. The wind billowed Eldrian's silver hair, and it felt great.

They crashed into the closest target. Ceph's landing causing shockwaves, sending the surrounding goblins flying. Many of whom died from the impact alone. Soon after, simple Tier 1 spells filled the air, flittering like a sowing needle through the goblin's vitals. Each spell claiming multiple lives before losing its effectiveness.

'Charge the large ones—' Eldrian started to relay his message, getting an update from Two who had scanned the area while slaughtering.

'Strongest are the goblin shamans, at least over ten.'

'—Scratch that, focus the shamans.' Pinpointing the closest one, Ceph closed the distance in the blink of an eye. And Eldrian's spear sliced through its neck before it could even fathom what was going on.

By the time four shamans had fallen, the goblins finally understood they were under attack.  However, Eldrian and Ceph were simply too fast.

Should the shamans manage to place a barrier, or the goblin knights stand in their way, they simply took to the sky. All the while, Tier 1 spells flittering through the goblin ranks. Their normal ilk unable to do anything but die from Two's surgical precision attacks.

And then Ceph and Two would attack a new area. Both used as little mana as they could, realizing that the group was too weak to force them to.

—

The fighting atop the wall had calmed. Reinforcements arrived and most of the enemies inside the city were contained, if not killed. The soldiers were preparing for the coming siege. That's when they saw a black and green figure appear from the night sky.

Crashing into a nearby group of goblins, they moved through the enemy. Cutting down goblins by the dozens. If not for the dark of night making it difficult to see the enemy's makeup, the soldiers would have blanched, realizing what a force it was. Yet, in just a few minutes, it was no more.

The black and green apparition with a silver-haired figure disappeared as soon as they had arrived. Another boom heard from the distance, this time too far past the veil of night to discern anything but the sounds occasionally making it to the walls.

The few players stationed at this side of the city stared at the carnage at the edge of the light in disbelief. They knew what and who that apparition was, and seeing their might on full display made the players quake in fear, shake with ambition, or shout in joy.

Why they had never heard of this display of power before, they could not fathom. In mere minutes, Eldrian and his tamed beast had killed hundred of goblins. And without using any AOE spells or attacks at that.

The goblins instead appeared to fall one after the other, like puppets with their strings cut

—

Landing in the fourth group, Eldrian immediately tensed. Forming a barrier of ice, several cracks echoed through the air. A dozen spears had been blocked, though the barrier was cracked and near failing. But it had done its job.

"Orcs, and it appears we have a few demons or something monster-like here, too." Eldrian commented.

Using an abridged version of mana sense, Eldrian only wished to gain a general sense of the monsters. While each Syltrof was Tier 5, that did not place Eldrian under much concern. The bigger problem was the orc chieftain and shamans.

[Syltrof]

[A creature that often lives in borrows, its claws are sharp enough to turn iron to dust, and its hide though enough to block most average blade.]

The explanation of the Syltrof was not much use, but it did not appear like it was a big concern. Its stats did not appear balanced for warfare. It was much too slow, however; it was a veritable tank with a plethora of HP and armor.

'Perhaps brought to dig under or through the walls for another avenue of attack?' Relying this thought to Elizabeth, she made sure to inform the other leaders and the mayor of such a possibility. That they could not only watch for attack from above the ground.

Already the shamans were working on erecting a magic blocking barrier while the chieftain was organized his scattered orcs to focus on the threat in their midst. As always, their landing caused the group to fall into chaos.

Focusing on the Chieftain, Ceph charged. Carrying Eldrian with him as he did, who canceled his ice barrier in perfect time for Ceph's charge, hiding for just a split second their actions.

The orcs expected this. While an alicorn, Ceph still appeared like a horse. And a horse and its rider would charge. Pikes, spears, and axes filled their surroundings as multiple barriers filled the air, stagnating the local mana and making it harder to cast spells to those the casters deemed their enemy.

Unwavering, their charge did not falter. Ceph did not slow, and the orcs thought for sure he would be impaled along with his elven rider. Who, strangely enough, wore wooden armor, of all things.

However, in the next second Eldrian faulted in the sky while Ceph rolled on the ground.

Eldrian landed with his spear piercing two orcs to the ground. The wings of his speer having pierced them along with the blade and entered deep into the ground.

With a twist and a mighty yank, he ripped the spear out of them. Forming a gruesome sight as it left a gaping hole in the orcs' chests.

Ceph, on the other hand, had turned into his elven form. Using the moment of his charge, he had slid under the orcs. His adamantine blade severing all their legs until he finally came to a halt. Where he vaulted to his feet and struck the nearest orc.

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