Wolvendale Village
Western Gate
Some time ago
Nox found himself perched atop the newly reinforced wall. Its broadened expanse now allowed not only for comfortable seating, but also for easy conversation. His unit, comprised of twenty-seven varied kobolds and kobloids, was scattered around him. Some of his comrades sat adjacent to him on the wall, others manned the watchtower, and a handful succumbed to sleep on the secure ground within the village boundaries.
One of the kobloids seated next to Ifrit stifled a yawn before remarking, “Man, I’m so tired. How long did we get to sleep? Two hours? Three hours?”
“Consider yourself fortunate,” retorted Ifrit, a hint of resentment in her tone. “We didn’t get much sleep yesterday either. The fatigue is catching up to me.”
Inly, poised on the edge of the watchtower, let out a chuckle before remarking, “If anyone has the right to grumble, it's Nox. He's only got six hours of sleep in the last three days.”
“It’s alright,” Nox replied with a dismissive shake of his head. “I got less tired when I evolved so that helped.”
“You’re basically calling us little bitches now, aren’t you?” Ifrit retorted, rolling her eyes. “We evolved too. It didn’t help that much.”
“It’s not just about lack of sleep,” a brown kobloid interjected, clicking his tongue. “It’s just that monsters don’t come around as often anymore.”
“And why should they?” Ifrit guffawed, her gaze sweeping over the morbid expanse of decaying corpses beyond the wall. “Not even a dumb slug would see this and dare come.”
“True, but our leveling speed has taken a hit,” another kobloid grumbled in response.
“Look at you complaining about monsters not wanting to kill you,” Ifrit remarked, raising an eyebrow in amusement before chuckling. “But you’re right. It might be a good idea to just get rid of this trash. The smell is making me want to throw up at all time.”
As Ifrit and the kobloids carried on with their playful banter and casual conversation, Nox observed them, a gentle smile gracing his features. He found their chatter enjoyable, though fatigue prevented him from participating.
Suddenly, his ears pricked at the sound of a swooshing noise. Reacting instinctively, he lunged towards one of the kobloids, his hand clutching the hilt of his axe. The recruit, a recent addition to their ranks, barely had time to register the shadowstalker's swift charge before Nox bisected the oncoming projectile with a swift swing of his weapon.
“What in the seven hells?!” Ifrit exclaimed, taken aback by Nox’s abrupt movement. “Why did you do that?”
Even Inly shot him a puzzled glance, while the target kobloid remained speechless, too stunned to utter a word. However, as Nox lifted his axe, a noticeable dent on its blade was revealed. Glancing down, he discovered the source of the disruption — a fist-sized rock, now split in two.
“Rock Bullet?” Nox questioned, an eyebrow arched in curiosity as the rest of the group gathered around him, intrigued by his actions. As they examined the shattered stone, Nox swiveled around to determine the origin of the unexpected attack.
"Humans…?"
At Nox's utterance, the group's collective gaze followed his line of sight. Emerging from the cover of the trees, two squads of ten humans appeared. Their attire was unassuming, similar to the clothes typically worn by village dwellers or workers. However, their recent warning shot clearly indicated they were anything but harmless.
"Finally, some action," Ifrit remarked, her knuckles cracking in anticipation. “You guys were complaining about not leveling up fast enough? Well, here's a fresh batch of experience points delivered right to our gate. We must all thank Ulvaskye for offering us such a delicious meal.”
"I prefer offering my prayers after I eat," Inly remarked before launching himself off the watchtower.
“Hey, don’t try to hog it all for yourself!” Ifrit retorted and leapt off the wall, her action mirrored by the remaining kobloids.
“Boss, you’re not going to join?” A silver-furred kobold assassin queried.
Nox chuckled, shaking his head in response. "Go ahead, enjoy yourselves. I will keep watch from here.”
“As you wish, boss,” the assassin promptly rejoined the group.
As anticipated, the kobolds made quick work of the human invaders. The vast disparity in abilities and skillsets was glaringly evident — five humans were no match for the ferocity of either Ifrit or Inly. Unfazed by the magi's barrage of fireballs, Ifrit would simply surge forward, incinerating her opponents with her own potent flames. Meanwhile, Inly demonstrated superior strength and vitality, a figure of unyielding resilience on the battlefield.
Even the kobloids held their own impressively. Employing their innate rock armor ability, they effectively thwarted the humans' attacks and retaliated with their own formidable skills. Their physical prowess and agility, enhanced by the substantial stat boosts from leveling up both their class and species, gave them a distinct advantage on the battlefield.
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Nox observed his unit's efficient dismantling of the two human squads with a sense of pride. However, as the last human warriors made their final stand, he detected an audible rustling from the surrounding forest. Emerging from the shadows of all the trees within his line of sight, a flurry of silhouettes began to materialize.
"Fall back!" Nox's voice rang out across the field, his tone urgent. "There are a lot of them! Too many!"
The din of the battlefield made his command barely perceptible. As the kobolds turned towards the shadowstalker, waves of humans poured forth from the shelter of the trees, their numbers reaching into the hundreds. It resembled an army, one comprised of ordinary individuals whose eyes glowed with a wild, unhinged fervor.
Spells representing all four elements hurtled towards Nox's unit by the dozen. The kobloids bore the initial brunt of the attack, unable to evade the magical onslaught and forced to shield themselves with their comparatively weak rock armor. The kobolds, however, managed to deflect the assault and orchestrated a strategic retreat.
Observing that some of the kobloids were on the verge of being left stranded, Nox sprang into action. With a single, swift stride, he plunged into the oncoming surge of humans. Their utterances were nothing but a baying shout of "Kill!" and unintelligible battle cries.
Through a series of rapid, lethal strikes, Nox dispatched half a dozen adversaries before reaching the besieged kobloids. Scooping two of them under his arms, he made a hasty retreat towards the village, scaling the formidable wall with a single, agile leap before setting the fresh recruits safely on their feet.
Casting a backward glance, he noted the other kobolds assisting the newer members in their desperate escape. Regrettably, some had already fallen to the human onslaught and were beyond rescue.
With a grunt of determination, Nox reentered the fray, scooping up more of the retreating kobloids. Carrying them proved faster than waiting for their clumsy attempts at running and inevitably futile efforts to scale the towering wall.
Possessing otherworldly agility, which was further enhanced by his Thorned Cloak, Nox displayed speed superior to the other two assassins, even while carrying a kobloid in his arms. This swift pace ensured that the haphazardly launched spells fell short, their sluggish trajectories failing to connect with him.
After a few quick trips, all the surviving members of Nox's unit had safely retreated within the village confines. Thankfully, most of the humans lacked the requisite strength to scale the wall. Yet, Nox knew this respite was fleeting. Given time, their persistent bombardment of fireballs would inevitably breach the barrier.
“How the fuck are they so strong?” Ifrit grunted. “And why are there so many of them? It’s like we kicked up an anthill.”
“We need to run away fast,” Nox commanded, his expression grave. Recalling Thorian's counsel during their meeting, he was acutely aware that this was a circumstance where retaliation would incur heavy losses, even under the best of conditions.
Turning his focus to the two assassins, he issued new instructions. “Go around the village and tell the other units we are being invaded. We need to escape into the forest and regroup with Thorian! Tell them all to go east.”
"Are you out of your mind?!" Ifrit retorted, her expression a mixture of disbelief and shock. “King left us here to protect the village, not to abandon it when the enemy comes!”
"Ifrit, mind your language," Inly reprimanded sternly, his voice resonating with authority. “Nox is our leader who our king appointed. You need to listen to his orders.”
“There are too many humans,” Nox explained. “I saw so many of them - it’s like they covered the forest.”
Just as he concluded his statement, a human hand appeared over the crest of the wall. One by one, individual humans began to scale the wall, appearing at various points. Simultaneously, the reverberating thuds and high-pitched screeching indicated that a breach was imminent.
"We need to move fast!"
With that directive from Nox, the group sprang into motion. The assassins diverged, one venturing North and the other South. The remaining members aimed for the furthest point from their current location: the eastern gate.
As the unit, consisting of around seventeen kobolds and kobloids, navigated through the village, their speed was limited by the slowest kobloids. Nox and the other kobolds couldn't expedite their movement by carrying them, given the disproportionate ratio of kobloids to kobolds, heavily weighted in favor of the former.
Hearing the footfalls behind them, Nox stole a glance over his shoulder. A group of fleet-footed humans were hot on their trail, brandishing an assortment of weapons from swords to axes to daggers. No doubt, they were assassins. The fastest among them exhibited a speed that could rival the slowest kobolds - a commendable achievement for a human bereft of dual leveling abilities.
Simultaneously, as Nox's gaze swept over the front of the village, he took in the sight of bewildered civilians going about their daily routines. There were expectant mothers, frail elders, and bemused children who hadn't even comprehended that their village was under siege.
They’re going to all die at this rate.
“Ifrit, take the civilians with you and keep running,” Nox gritted his teeth and issued his command. His voice was noticeably grave, a stark departure from his usual playful manner. “At this rate, they’re going to catch up to us. I’m going to stop them for a bit and then regroup with you later. Don’t stop or slow down more than you need to, you’ll only make it harder for me.”
“What the hell are you saying, Nox?” Ifrit snarled, her ire apparent. “If you’re going to stay, I’m going to stay too. We either both live or we both die!”
“Ifrit!” Nox's voice thundered, taking the flame kobold aback. “I am not going to die. But if we both stay, one of us definitely will!”
"Nox," Inly's gaze bore into the shadowstalker's eyes, his tone laden with fervor. "Don't you dare croak on us."
“Who do you think I am?” Nox retorted, a chuckle tingeing his words before he pivoted. The squadron of assassins storming towards his group were perilously close to the trailing kobloids. Just as one of the humans was about to plunge his blade into the back of a fellow kobloid, Nox lunged at him with a speed bordering on spectral. The human's arm had barely stretched to deliver the fatal blow when Nox's axe claimed his neck.
His weapon shrouded in a morbid, dark aura, the shadowstalker made quick work of the assassin squad. With swift, lethal strokes, his adversaries were laid low, disemboweled and slain.
Having dispatched the group, Nox straightened up to survey the advancing horde. The humans had already breached the wall and set large portions of it aflame. They swarmed into the village like a relentless tide of ants. Wherever Nox's gaze landed, it was met with dozens, if not hundreds, of frenzied faces. Yet, rather than perceive them as a threat, he saw them as a veritable feast.
A feral grin spread across his features as he wiped his enemy's blood off his axe, readying himself for the onslaught to come. “I’m sorry, Thorian. I might not leave you much to kill after I’m done.”