The sound of a System notification pulled Sam from her meditation early the next morning. The sky was starting to fill with the beautiful colors of sunrise when the chime sounded in her mind. Sam furrowed her brows, “I thought I muted the chime in my interface.” She read the notification.
'Bing' You have been invited to a System-curated event: Cull the Herd - The Church of the Light faction has released an excessive number of invasive species into the local forest before the planet is capable of sustaining the species.
This is an optional raid mission. All system users within a ten-kilometer radius have been notified.
Mission: Kill at least 85% of monsters released by the Church of the Light.
Location: 5km from Helms Peak; 7km from Beastlands border. Specific location will be given upon acceptance of mission.
Maximum Participants: 25. (All System users within the combat zone will be considered participants unless they exit the zone prior to the countdown ending).
Maximum Level of Participants: 58 [No minimum level].
Recommended Level: 47+.
Current Number of Participants: 5.
Time Until Zone Lock: 1:43:13.
Duration of Mission: 1:30:00.
Failure Conditions: 15% or greater of invasive species remaining upon mission end.
Failure Penalty: Loss of reward(s). (All standard experience gained while participating will be retained by user).
Reward(s): 1.5 x Experience gained (Additional experience will be calculated by user’s performance upon mission completion); One-time access to system shop network for a single purchase (Must be used immediately upon mission completion).
Note: All Church of the Light followers involved in the release of the invasive species will be penalized with a 10% debuff to all stats for 1 cycle upon mission failure and will receive a 25% debuff to all stats for 1 cycle upon mission success. No Church of the Light members or their contract holders will be allowed to participate.
Sam looked around the campsite. Everyone had the thousand-meter stare of someone checking their interface. "Five participants, huh. I bet that's us. The System must count Nara and Naris as one since they share the same body." Another message popped up confirming her suspicion.
'Bing' You are a registered participant in an upcoming system event. The rally point for participants has been updated in your interface. If you possess a cartography ability, your map will be updated with the location and the event zone border. If you do not wish to participate in this event, please leave the zone within 1:41:36. Once the timer ends, the zone will be locked, and no entry or exit will be allowed for the duration of the event. Good luck.
“Oh, I am definitely participating,” Sam thought. She didn't know about the rest of her party or if Alina and Arron would even be able to participate, but she was going to join. It would be a great way to power level. Plus, this was the first time she was given a choice by the System. It was usually just the System sending high-level enemies to kill her without warning. “I might actually start enjoying myself a little if this keeps up.”
Lupie's thoughts entered Sam's mind, "I wish to participate."
Sam grinned and patted the terrifying blood monster's side lovingly. She sent back, "Me too, girl, me too." She looked at Nara and asked, "Nara, are you in?"
Nara looked at the stack of nearly two hundred arcane arrows and the smaller stack of void arrows lying next to the pile of arcane and void mana crystals Sam made overnight. She grinned, "Yes! We're in!"
Seeing they were all decided, Sam looked to Arron and Alina and asked, "Are you allowed to participate?" When neither of them answered, Sam said, "It's okay if you can't, I'll just tie you to a tree until we're finished—”
"We can!" Alina cut her off, jumping up and dusting herself off. "Will you give us our weapons to defend ourselves, at least?"
"Sure…" Sam said thoughtfully, "but later, once we reach the rally point and right before the countdown ends," Sam said, glancing at Nara, who only shrugged. Sam was confident the two couldn't harm them but was a little worried they might try to create an opportunity to escape during what was likely going to be a chaotic battle. "Either that, or they try to distract us and get us killed while we are fighting a monster." She would have to think about it more as they traveled to the rally point. She could see it on her map, which she shared with Nara and Lupie.
When they both accepted the offer to view the map, Lupie growled and stalked over to Arron, ignoring Alina, who only stared at her in fear. Confused at Lupie's sudden action, Sam checked her map, "What's the map got to do with—oh. Good girl!” Lupie had immediately noticed what Sam should have hours ago. Arron's outline was red with the 'Hostile' tag floating over his head when she zoomed in on the map. Sam also noted Alina's outline was blue with a 'Neutral' tag.
Nara noticed, too, and was a step ahead of Sam when she pulled the rope out of her storage device and started toward Arron. He had enough sense to remain perfectly still as Nara and Sam tied him up before tossing him on Lupie's back.
Alina didn't ask why she wasn't tied up. She only stood by and watched as Sam and Nara broke camp, dousing the fire and storing everything.
After a short mental communication with Nara, Sam dumped Alina's armor, shield, and weapons on the ground for her to don. Alina complied quickly while still casting furtive glances at her father.
Finally, having had enough of the suspense, Sam explained why her father was tied up with a half-truth, "Your dad has a hostile tag with my identify skill." Inwardly, she thought, "Which didn't show up until I mentioned weapons." She remembered identifying him that morning when he had been captured. She was sure they had both been neutral then.
Alina gave her father a look of disbelief and whispered, "Thank you for my gear."
Finished with the camp, they headed to the gathering area for the event.
***
Sam and her party made it to the rally point first. It took them less than twenty minutes, as close as they were. Plus, it was close to the route they had taken less than a week ago, so they could follow Sam's mini-map as they jogged through the forest.
The area the System had led them to was actually a decently defensible position. There was a large open area that was primarily flat, with only a few trees when they faced west toward the Beastland border. There was a bend in the river about fifty meters out that would slow down any attackers coming in from the west. A thirty-meter cliff at least one hundred meters long was at their back, with a large cave entrance in the center. A quick check showed Sam the cave was only about twenty-five meters into the cliff, so they would be trapped if they had to retreat in there. She wrote the cave off as a lousy fallback point. The cave was, however, a great place to dump Arron, which they had done only a short time after arriving. Sam figured the creatures the church had released would be coming from the west, assuming they came at them. She hoped it wasn't up to the raiding party to go out and hunt them individually, which she was also okay with. If that was the case, though, Sam was still determining if they could cover the whole zone in the time limit. The sun was peering over the cliff, and the shadow the cliff cast was slowly receding against the light. “Hmm, it might be worth it to go aggro some beasts and bring them back from the west. That way, the sun will be in their eyes."
“Do you think it’s because of me?” Nara asked out of nowhere.
“Do I think what’s because of you?” Sam responded.
“The beasts the church released,” Nara replied, “it’s probably salamanders and raptors. I bet they flooded the area to flush me out as soon as they lost communication with the team we killed.”
“I never thought of that,” Sam admitted with a shrug. “Does it matter? And do you think they would go to that much trouble?”
"Yes," Nara was sure, "You don't understand. Free blights are one of the greatest threats to their power, and enslaved blights are how they maintain their power. If I not only survive but also thrive, then it will give the other enslaved hope, and for a cult that thrives off fear, it would be annoying to fix."
“Well, I don’t think it matters,” Sam said with a huge grin.
“Why are you grinning?” Nara asked.
“Because you said raptors!” Sam was practically bouncing, “I can’t wait!”
***
They heard the voices first. Shouts coming from the direction of Helms Peak. There were still over forty minutes on the countdown timer, which excited Sam because they would have time to strategize with the others who had decided to join the mission. After only a few more minutes, the voices were joined by the sounds of armored people running and shouting as they closed in on the rally point.
“Damn, they must have been booking it all the way here if they came all the way from Helms Peak,” Sam thought, looking at the timer. Just as the first of many people burst through the tree line. Checking the event notification showed the entire twenty-five people had chosen to participate. It didn't surprise her, who would pass up on a chance for one and a half times experience and a purchase from the System shop. "I assume the System shop is nice…it has to be…right?" Sam brushed away the thoughts as the first participants jogged up, having slowed down once they reached the rendezvous with plenty of time to spare.
"Sam!" The most giant woman Sam had ever seen yelled when she entered the clearing. The woman was obviously a warrior judging from the round shield on her back and the sword at her waist. Still, Sam was trying to think of what kind of warrior fought shirtless with only thin leather pants and a small chest plate covering her heart.
"Pink hair…looks like an Amazon Berserker…oh crap," Sam had barely finished the thought when the woman scooped her up into a bear hug spinning her around. Sam mentally shouted at Nara through their chat function, "What's her name!? Please, Nara!"
Nara was sitting on the ground, holding her stomach. She was laughing so hard. She finally managed to choke out, "Brenda, it is good to see you! I'm so glad you joined us."
"Wouldn't miss a raid for anything! And so close to the city, too!" The giant woman, Brenda, said, "Do either of you know why the church did something so stupid? Surely, they knew the consequences." Then she narrowed her eyes at Nara, still squeezing Sam, who was mumbling something illegible into the woman's ample chest.
Nara's eyes widened at Brenda's gaze when she realized she hadn't transformed to make herself look human. Looking down at the grey skin of her arms, she flinched and quickly turned it to the color she used when in human cities.
"Oh, none of that, little Nara," Brenda said, "We all know what you are. I should have guessed as soon as I saw you, but I was too excited over seeing this beautiful psychopath here." She squeezed Sam even harder. Nara was sure she could hear Sam's bones creaking from the pressure.
Brenda finally held Sam at arm's length to look her up and down. She nodded her approval at how much stronger Sam was. "Hi, Brenda—" Sam started to say, but Lupie chose that moment to pad out of the cave where she had been watching Arron.
"Monster!" Brenda shouted, releasing Sam and drawing her sword in one fluid motion. Several other people who had exited the tree line also drew weapons and charged spells.
"Wait!" Sam, Nara, and even Alina all shouted at the same time. Sam threw up a shield construct just in time to stop an ice spike from hitting Lupie, who had just looked at the incoming attack with curiosity and disdain. Blood armor coated her body, appearing seemingly from nowhere, and her tentacles grew out instantly, poised to strike any who dared come into her range.
"Stay back!" Brenda said and tried to grab Sam's arm, but Sam dodged away and sprinted to stand in front of Lupie, facing the small crowd with her arms outstretched. It would have been a comical sight if everyone hadn't been on edge. Sam's small figure trying to protect a giant wolf the size of a small SUV with her body.
"She's with us!" Sam shouted with a touch of mana infusing her voice. She used less than she had with the paladin, not wanting the gathered adventurers to treat it like an attack. When her words were met with silence from the fifteen or so people who had shown up so far, Sam continued in a normal voice but loud enough for everyone to hear, "This is Lupie. She is my friend. If you have an issue with her, you have an issue with me." Sam let those words sink in. Still, there was silence. No one had lowered their weapons, which made Sam nervous. “Be ready to run, girl. Nara and I can catch up later,” Sam sent the message to the Bloodmorph, preparing for the worst.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Miss Samantha?” A lilting voice came from the gathered fighters.
Sam didn't recognize the voice and couldn't pinpoint who it came from, so she slowly said, "Yes…can I help you?"
A tall, blond man pushed his way to the front of the line. At least Sam thought it was a man; his features were somewhat androgynous. He stood nearly as tall as Brenda and was clad in shining armor, holding his helmet under one arm. He was equipped with a Pavese shield and a great sword that looked as long or longer as Sam was tall. "Miss Samantha, it is you!" The man walked a few steps forward, ignoring the growling Lupie. He knelt on one knee in front of Sam and said, "I must apologize for my rude insult several nights ago. Thank you for sparing my life."
Sam stared dumbfounded at the man, thinking, "What is up with paladins all being blond? And when the fuck was he rude? Also, sparing his life? Who the hell is this guy…err girl…person?" She looked at Nara, who was again laughing; at least this time, she held her hands over her mouth to try to stifle the uncontrollable giggling. Then it all came back to Sam in a wave of realization, and she blurted, "Little Boy…Chad?" Sam was thoroughly confused, "Umm, apology accepted…isn’t this the guy I nearly killed with a headbutt and then basically stole his family’s spatial suite in the Adventurers Guild about a week ago? Why is he…it apologizing to me?" Sam had no idea what was happening, but at least everyone had lowered their weapons.
The little boy Chad looked up at Sam and stood from his kneeling position. "May I approach?" he (Sam decided it was a he) asked politely. At Sam's nod, he walked forward, saying, "Hello, Lupie, nice to meet you. I look forward to fighting alongside you in the upcoming battle.”
Lupie chuffed, and Sam wasn't sure she should translate what she said.
It turned out Sam didn't have to. Brenda and three other warrior women identical to Brenda except for their hair color started belly laughing at Lupie's chuff. Even a few of the mages in the crowd were chuckling a little. Brenda finally composed herself and put her weapon away. She walked over to Lupie and Sam, speaking to Lupie, "You're damn right he would just get in the way." Coming closer, she asked, "Can I pet you?" Lupie would never turn down ear scratches or pets. So, she happily retracted her blood armor and nuzzled up to the giant woman who eagerly scratched and petted her, cooing the entire time, "You're such a good girl. Who's the big, scary, beautiful girl? That's right, you are."
Seeing the situation had been diffused and happy, Brenda was not interested in petting her. Sam turned to Little Boy Chad, who was staring slack-jawed at the Berserker as she tussled with the Bloodmorph like a puppy. Snapping her fingers to get his attention, she asked, "Hey, why did you apologize to me? Aren't you mad at me for taking your family's spatial suite in the guild?"
Chad took a moment to tear his eyes from Lupie, mumbling, "Summon token…" Looking at Sam, he asked, "Is that, umm, she from the summon token?" Sam nodded, still waiting for him to answer her question. He just shook his head and responded to her question, "I was informed yesterday when I woke up that I insulted an extremely powerful guild member in a very rude manner, and she, you, put me in my place after a small wager. From what I have learned, I am lucky to be alive." Sam raised her eyebrows; she was pretty sure she was being belligerent that night, too. Still, she let him continue. "As for the spatial suite, seeing the powerful creature from the token summoned, I realize now it was a fair wager, maybe even slightly in my favor. So, I will accept my loss with honor. Besides, I can always use my father's suite if I have the need."
"So that's why you were such a wuss!" Surprising the little boy, Sam said, "Your daddy probably makes sure you are never in any real danger." Several gasps could be heard from the crowd, but Chad impressed Sam with his response to her goading.
"Indeed," He said with surprising humility, "It is both a blessing and a curse to be the son of a famous adventurer." He gave Sam a serious look, "Thank you for your…bluntness. I will have you know I am trying to remedy the handicap that is my father's influence."
“Wow, is this guy for real? Cute and humble,” Sam’s eyes narrowed as she looked Chad up and down, “I wonder if he’s innocent too…” She gave herself a mental slap to shake off that thought and stuck out her hand to shake his, "It's nice to meet you, Chad. I'm glad I didn't kill you accidentally that night. I have to say I was really, really," She paused for a moment, then continued, "really, really, really drunk, so I have to admit I remember very little of what happened." Then something Chad had said popped into her mind, "Wait, you said you woke up yesterday that wasn't from when I—”
“Yes,” Chad said, “I am fortunate to be alive.”
"Holy shit, dude, I put you in a coma?" Sam looked to Nara, who suddenly found the ground extremely interesting, refusing to look at Sam. "You said he was fine!" Sam said accusingly to her friend.
"Well, he wasn't dead," Nara defended herself, "and the healers promised they could reconstruct his face and skull!" She pointed at Chad, "Just look at him; he's just as cute as he was before you caved in his face and broke his neck and skull."
"Ahem," a young elven woman wearing functional green combat robes and carrying a crystal staff in one hand stepped forward. She greeted them with a slight bow toward Sam and Chad. Looking toward the clearing where the river bend was, she brought them back to the present, saying, "I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we discuss our strategy for the upcoming event. I'm sure with the rewards the System is offering, this will be a difficult fight."
Sam nodded along with everyone else present. With all twenty-four of them present, not counting the tied-up Arron, they gathered around in as tight a circle as possible to discuss the battle that would take place soon. It was time to get serious.
***
"You can't be serious. Ten times the number?" Sam was stunned. The elven woman, a level 51 battle healer, Parish, who had brought them together, turned to look at Sam.
"At least ten times the amount. I take it you have never joined a raid event before?" When Sam shook her head, Parish looked around the group and asked, "Is this anyone else's first time?" Five others raised their hand, and even Lupie gave a low whine, staring at the woman expectantly. "Okay, I will make this quick. Chadwick, please speak up if I miss anything," she said, glancing at the paladin, who nodded his assent.
Clapping her hands together, Parish explained what a raid event was, "A raid event is usually initiated when a dungeon overflows or someone stirs up a nest of dangerous monsters, causing a horde or stampede. Those are just some examples. Another example is what's happening now. A faction has released their own horde for a reason that is their own." She looked at Nara and smiled, then continued, "This is an optional raid with few participants; unlike when a horde approaches a city, there is no participant limit. The few participants suggest the number of creatures released is likely quite low, maybe less than one hundred." She looked to Sam, who was nodding, and answered Sam's earlier question, "Normally, that would be it. But the rewards are a high experience boost plus a purchase from the System store, which suggests the difficulty will be extreme. That and a twenty-five percent debuff for the church member or members responsible if we succeed is unheard of. So, to increase the difficulty to justify the rewards, the System will create replicas of the creatures the church released in the same manner dungeon spawns are created," She paused for a moment, thinking, "If an alpha wasn't released the System may spawn one and if one was released the System may replicate it so we should prepare for that. Now, that's the quick version." She looked at Chad, who was the highest level and seemed to be well respected by the group, "do you have anything to add, Sir Chadwick?"
Sam inwardly groaned, "Of course, he would be a fucking noble. Way to go, Sam; why don't you try to accidentally kill the king the next time you get drunk!"
Sir Little Boy Wuss Chadwick didn't notice Sam's inner turmoil and was all business when he surveyed the large clearing. After contemplating, he said, "Judging by the terrain, the System will send the monsters through here. It is an easily defensible position, although I wish we had a slightly higher elevation than the river. I still think it is a good position to establish a decent defense."
A young man spoke up, "I can raise the ground around here a few meters in about five minutes if you want." Chad looked at the young man, causing him to blush and look away.
"Please proceed immediately then, Marin. And thank you, I will be sure to mention your contribution to your father if we survive this." Chad handed the young man several mana potions from his storage device so he wouldn't hurt his reserves before the fight; the young man took the potions appreciatively, moved a few steps away, and knelt, placing his hands on the ground, palms down.
Sam felt a light vibration under her and heard a low rumbling sound, but that was all, “I guess he’s a Terra mage.” She thought before turning her attention back to Chad.
He continued going over their likely strategy after rubbing his chin, thinking, "If this is similar to other raids I've participated in, then the beasts will come in waves. Each wave will be stronger than the previous, with the final few having several high-level monsters that possess cunning and intelligence greater than the rest of their brethren. The final wave will have a boss monster, likely an alpha, for each monster type in the wave...System, help us if there's a beta in the final wave."
Sam cringed, "Fuck! He just had to go and say it! Now, there will definitely be a beta in the final wave! Maybe even two—shit, why did I have to think that!? Now I jinxed us!”
Chad looked at Nara, asking a question of the group but directing it more toward her, "Are there any other invasive species the church possesses other than Sigea Raptor and Salamanders?" Nara shook her head no while everyone else just shrugged or stayed quiet.
Chad was quiet for nearly a minute surveying the soon-to-be battlefield, and then, in turn, each of the people gathered. He didn't ask anyone for their class or abilities. Sam figured he knew most of the people here. In fact, they all knew each other, which stood to reason since most of them were from the guild, and other than Sam's group, all seemed to be from the region. He finally spoke, "We should form three lines in a half-circle pattern. The first line will be the tanks to slow the horde down. Behind us will be the lighter warriors and close combat mages who can sneak attacks in while we hold the beasts back and guard our flanks if something slips in from the trees like I imagine the raptors will. Finally," he looked to the cliff, "if we can get some long-range fighters up there, it will benefit us greatly in thinning the enemies before they get to us."
Chad's gaze fell on Sam and her group, looking them over again. Anticipating what he was about to say, Sam spoke for her party, "I know none of you know what a pathfinder or sorceress is, so let me give you a rundown of our abilities. Lupie is a highly mobile killing machine that can probably take on at least five salamanders up to level thirty simultaneously without breaking a sweat. She can likely go one-on-one with any beast up to level seventy-five in this forest, although the fight will be messy for her." Lupie chuffed her agreement while sending Sam happy thoughts. She was proud Sam had recognized her strength. Sam and several people smiled at the Bloodmorph, and Brenda hugged the wolf's thick neck. Shaking her head at the affectionate display from the Berserker, Sam continued, "Alina, I believe some of you know, so I'll just say she is a competent warrior for her level, and I can personally attest that she will keep fighting even after losing an arm." Everyone looked at Alina with a bit of respect at those words, regardless of the circumstances that led her here; fighting after the physical and mental trauma of losing a limb was an impressive feat.
Sam continued, "Nara, as all of you know, is a Moonblight. She, like me, has a probationary silver membership with the guild. Although her class is sorceress, she is also an exceptional archer," Sam snapped her fingers, "Oh, that reminds me. Nara can learn any spell she is hit with, be it support or attack. So, if any of you are willing to hit her with something she wants, please see her after the meeting. She has limited slots, so don't feel hurt if she turns you down." Sam looked to Nara and asked permission through their chat if she wanted to introduce Naris. Nara gave the slightest of nods and closed her eyes.
"Also," Sam started gesturing to Nara, "Naris Blight may also be joining the battle, so you all should get to know him too." As soon as Sam said that, Nara made the switch with Naris. He appeared holding one of the mana crystals Sam had made the night before. Sam noticed several people move back a step, but other than that, the reaction was much less dramatic than she expected. "I guess if the guild master is a Moonblight, then it stands to reason his blight is well known, too."
"Um, hello," Naris said nervously, "I'm Naris. I specialize in speed. I can fight with my claws or daggers. Also, I can track mana signatures and will be able to spot if any beasts are sneaking up on us, hopefully. I have one ranged spell, but it is loud and a little slow, so it is best used within a few meters of my target." He looked to the people who took steps back, saying, "No one has anything to fear from me. If I run low on mana, I will switch with Nara freely." To prove his point, Naris fazed his body out for a fraction of a second, and Nara was back with a smile.
“He’s a little shy,” Sam said, and Nara snorted.
"And what about you, Miss Samantha?" Parish asked with a raised eyebrow, "I sense a great power coming from you, but it seems…" she struggled to describe what she wanted to say, finally settling on "suppressed."
Sam thought about how much she wanted to disclose about herself, finally deciding to just give everyone enough to make an educated decision about her abilities. "I am a Pathfinder with two affinities. One is the Arcane affinity," of everyone there, only Parish reacted. Her eyes opened slightly wider, but she otherwise kept her composure. Sam kept speaking, "I, like Lupie, am an extremely mobile fighter with a variety of offensive and defensive magic. I can probably handle just as many salamanders as she can, and I know, for a fact, I can go one-on-one with a level ninety-nine Whitling Broodmother." Several gasps came from the crowd, and even a few voices of decent exclaiming, "Impossible! You're only level 31!". Sam didn't let this go on and simply dumped the matriarch's head in the center of the circle of people, explaining, "I will not tell you how I defeated her once she evolved. Still, I will say Lupie and Nara managed to distract her for several minutes before I could take her down." Sam stored the head back in her inventory and looked between Parish and Chad, who seemed to have lost their speaking ability.
“I…um…that is to say...uh—” Chad started eloquently.
“Use your words,” Sam said with a grin.
Composing himself, Chad looked at Parish and shrugged, then looking back to Sam, he asked, "Would you be opposed to Nara acting as an archer on the cliff, Alina staying in the second line, and you and Lupie being stationed on each end of the tank line and acting as rovers? You won't be part of any line and will be free to roam the battlefield," he held up a hand when Sam opened her mouth to answer, "conversely, we will not break ranks to assist you if you get in trouble too deep into the horde." He said with a stern look.
Chad visibly shivered when Sam grinned, her eyes glowing violet and black. Then he nearly jumped out of his skin when Lupie roared her excitement to the sky. Sam slapped the visibly shaken Chad on the shoulder, "We would have it no other way."
***
Sam was counting down the seconds from her position on the edge of the front line. There were just over three minutes left. She had already taken the time to assign her seventeen free points; there was no sense in holding anything back if this was going to be as difficult a fight as Parish said it would be. She looked at the far end of the line the tanks were going to be holding to see Lupie crouched in a ready stance, eyeing the tree line across the river with anticipation. Nara and several other archers and ranged mages were perched atop the cliff, her bow at the ready. Alina was in the second line behind Sam, with the different warrior types focusing more on mobility. They could take a hit, but nowhere near what the tanks could endure.
It had taken only a scant few minutes for the experienced adventurers to form a strategy. No one even batted an eye when Sam explained why Arron was tied up. All but two of the people who had joined the raid were from the Adventurers Guild, and they were all aware of the contract placed on Arron and, by proxy, Alina. None of them had questioned why Alina had her weapons and gear either. They all knew every fighter would be needed.
Marin had done his job well, and they were all standing on a slight slope several meters above the level of the river, giving the raid party an elevation advantage. He had even erected over twenty short earthen barriers and softened the soil in many places to help slow the horde's charge. Sam wasn't sure how effective it would be, considering Sigea Salamanders had the terra affinity. Still, she let the kid have his moment without saying anything other than whispering the information to both Chad and Parish, who seemed to be the de facto leaders of the raid, which Sam had no issue with. She did not envy their responsibility; they could have it.
With one minute left, a notification popped up in her vision.
'Bing' One minute remaining. All participants have been set. This will be a wave-type event with 10 progressively difficult waves. All participants are now granted an open mental communication line for the duration of the event. Good luck.
"Everyone. Stay off the event communication line unless you need help or have important information to share. These open comm lines can be more distraction than helpful." Chad's voice echoed in Sam's head.
The timer ticked to zero, and a translucent shield formed around the battlefield, making it a rectangle maybe one hundred meters wide and half a kilometer long. Sam felt the ground shake just before a hundred giant salamanders broke through the tree line, heading straight for them. Sam couldn't contain her giddiness. This was going to be a slaughter! “Poor little salamanders.” Sam almost felt sorry for them…almost.