Streaks of blue and black clouds sailed across the twilight sky and Jazmel watched them with amazement. He had spent the previous day doing all the tasks he could support or help with.
He had spent hours with Patton and Gilmore making sure that they knew the area around the outpost and had begun to plan and prepare how to respond to an attack from any direction. They had decided that it would have to be a close combat battle, just beneath the walls of the outpost. Where the ballistae could support them with cover and also allow the retainers on the wall to cover them too.
The darkness of the twilight sky was foreboding, and Jazmel studied the sky and to his surprise there were ambient Mana particles floating high in the sky. He hadn’t noticed them before, but now they twinkled like millions of small stars.
In the afternoon he, Sadé and Timone had taken part in sparring with the seeker tier retainers. They attacked in groups and without using skills, the rankers were to defeat the groups as best as they could, the groups won out due to stamina, but their skills just were not strong enough to damage the three at all.
Jazmel especially, his tyrant body rebuffed almost any seeker skill and he evaded them literally on foot and without skills. But he wasn’t showing off, the power disparity was just that large.
In the early evening he and Bannerman had ran a wide berth of a patrol around the outpost and Jazmel got to see firsthand what the woods and trees around the faction base were like. he had not joined them on a hunt as their stores had been maintained by the training retainers as well as Bannerman who took it upon himself to hunt and patrol all in one. Bannerman had tiered up on their return and he was bigger and wider, standing at seven foot. His eyes were fully like a wolves now, yellow, and luminescent. While his canines had grown considerably too, he was still human, but he was teetering on the edge between man and wolf.
ONE HOUR REMAINING!
The system chimed and Jazmel scanned the area surrounding the outpost. But he could see nothing from the north and the east but when he looked to the west, he could see something he hadn’t expected, and he was worried all in the same breath.
The lake which was deep and wide was slowly freezing from the other side of the land. He knew it, because he could see the Mana creeping along the recesses of the beach, and it was growing as it began to form thick ice that Jazmel knew immediately that the attack force would be using to cross.
“WEST WALL NOW!” Jazmel yelled and his friends who had been loitering around the other walls hurried over to his side. Mary and Bannerman reached it first and whistled when their own senses started to make out the ice that was freezing the lake over slowly.
“Night and ice? That only means one thing.” Mary said, a scowl wearing her brow.
“Spectral and Supernatural beings are going to be attacking us.” She explained.
“What does that mean for us?” he said, and she crossed her arms in thought.
“Well, Mana attacks and skills will work on them. Anything that isn’t Mana attributed will now even leave a mark, the retainers aren’t going to be able to really affect them. We are going to have to do a lot of the heavy lifting.” She said and he nodded, the ranker tiers were all skilled and had skills that they could use against any type of creature the labyrinth pit against them.
“We need to see what we are dealing with.” She said and glancing at Jazmel she motioned with her chin towards the look out.
“You’re on lookout duty, whatever you see, and the system tells you. Share it with me and we will plan around what we are up against.” She climbed down from the wall and the others descended, leaving him with Elai the mage he had met in the demonic castle.
30 MINUTES REMAINING!
At the system’s second warning he looked back towards the lake, and he could see that almost half of it was frozen, now and it was rapidly crossing the length towards their western wall where he was now perched. Creatures had appeared on the other side of the lake, mulling along the shore, as they awaited the lake’s freezing.
There were numerous creatures; things he had never seen before, but he studied them and scanned them using his ghost blue eyes.
The first creature he noticed was almost humanoid in shape, they were tall and thin, their bodies covered in wrappings and tattered hooded ponchos. He couldn’t see a face or any eyes, but they seemed eager to beseech the tower. They all carried tall scythes; they reminded Jazmel of wheat reapers, but these were not the same. They were bloodied from some other battle; dried and unclean.
DING!
NEW CREATURE FOUND!
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TIER III HARBINGER FOUND! Harbingers spectral wraiths which follow behind Grim Reapers.
Jazmel shuddered at the idea of grim reapers; another quick scan and he realised that thankfully there were none there.
“30 Harbingers!” he yelled down at Mary, and she groaned but thanked him.
At the very back of the growing group, tall beings ambled around. Bored and waiting for the lake to completely freeze, they were tall. Great in stature and barely covered in armour or clothing. Sporting small, tattered kilts made of leather and other animal hides. Their skin ashen and it reminded Jazmel of the mountains.
DING!
NEW MONSTER FOUND!
TIER II GORGE GIANTS FOUND! Gorge giants are cannibals and eat only meat. They hunt around the mountains and make their homes high in the peaks.
“A group of gorge giants!” he yelled down again, and he heard the muffled chorus of seekers and retainers speaking.
“Bannerman and Patton, you guys are on giant duty.” Mary said, Jazmel didn’t even have time to look down he was still scanning the still growing attack force.
Hunched over and crouched before the shore snivelling and mewling were creatures that reminded Jazmel of fiends, they were ashen white and thin. Emaciated creatures, they looked like the fiends from the first floor, but a little different. He could see Mana swirling in their cores.
DING!
NEW MONSTER FOUND!
TIER III SPECTRAL GHOULS FOUND! They live in the ruins of death, only sneaking into life when they find entry. They suck the life from those they hunt and cause destruction!
The lore was nasty, and he could see that they were almost ravenous to enter the faction walls. Just as he could perceive their Mana; he realised they must be able to feel the life force in the outpost.
“A group of spectral ghouls, maybe 60 of them!” he yelled down and Elai who had stayed up beside him whimpered but swallowed it too late. He glanced at her.
“I faced them on my first floor, they were only tier I back then though.” She shuddered; he touched her shoulder comfortingly.
“We will face them together.” She resolved her courage; he felt her Mana stir.
Just beside them he could see the fiends he knew so well. Luckily, there were no greater fiends but fiends all the same.
“Hundred phantom fiends!” he yelled down this time to silence, nobody needed to show how they were feeling.
“Katie those are all yours!” he heard Mary say finally, no words were heard from Katie. But he did hear the clink of chains.
A monster he did not recognise could be seen standing in a boxed formation a group of knights. Had they stood in the light of day, he might have not thought anything of them. but in the night sky, he could see the Mana ebbing and coiling out from the small gaps in their armour.
DING!
NEW MONSTER FOUND!
TIER II BARROW KNIGHTS FOUND! Knights who fell to the dark of the barrows and raised to guard is spectral doors for eternity!
That sounded even more concerning.
“A contingent of barrow knights!” he yelled down, and Mary shouted back quickly.
“Do you see any barrow wights?” he scanned and just as he was about to respond and say no, he glimpsed them.
There were less than ten of them, the one noticed was cloaked and Mana seemed to hold it together, he peered at it, and they locked eyes. He saw the skull with empty eye sockets scrutinise him and flinging its head back, it screeched a cry Jazmel had never heard before but that one time told him he would never want to hear it again, nor could he forget it.
“Guess that answers my question, he heard from down below.”
DING!
NEW MONSTER FOUND!
TIER III BARROW WIGHTS FOUND! Barrow wights, the long dead owners of the burial barrow downs. Their wailing death cry can be heard throughout the night and sometimes paralyses.
That was great to know, he would kill it before they could paralyse any of the faction. He meant to destroy them and any that were attacking his home and friends.
“Anymore?” Mary called up and Jazmel was about to turn and say no when he saw it, when he saw him.
Sitting off to the side of the attack force was a man, or he once had been a man. His Mana seeped from him like the barrow knights, but it was so much purer, it reminded Jazmel of a bonfire and in the knight it was quite bright to him and his eyes that sought out Mana. The man was wearing armour of polished dark metal. He didn’t know the name, but it was so dark Jazmel could see him against the night. His head was uncovered, his hair was tied back away from his face, and he wore a simple silver circlet atop his brow. He was sitting on a big rock on the beach of the shore, that’s how Jazmel had almost missed him but then he had grabbed his great claymore which had been stuck into the ground upright.
BEWARE!
TIER III UTER OF KNIGHT OF THE REVENANT DRAGON COMES!
“There is a named boss here!” he shouted down and Mary growled; it almost sounded like Bannerman.
“A knight of the revenant dragon!” he offered, and she cursed loud enough that he was sure everyone heard.
“The system surely takes no prisoners.” He heard Mary say and he felt his stomach drop.
5 MINUTES!
The system announced and everyone grew deathly silent, Jazmel could feel the dread wafting off of the retainers and he knew that had he been alone; he might have felt something different but today was a different day. He turned to look down at the group of just over one hundred and spoke.
“I know you are all feeling fear, me too. But I want you to remember what you have overcome to feel that fear. Some of you joined us willingly, while others were freed by those who are good natured here. remember what you gave to be here, use that freedom to fight what will befall us soon.” He said and the retainers seemed a little more motivated while his friends and party were just itching to go.
“Six months ago I hadn’t stepped foot inside the labyrinth, now here and today I am a ranker tier I in charge of a faction; filled with people I would kill and die for! Remember your motivations, realise your foundations, and dig deep. We will see out this night!” he shouted and that drew a cheer from them all!.
DING!
RALLY THE RETAINERS!
10% BUFF ON WILL EARNED EXP!
The system pinged but he dismissed the notice. Katie leapt up to stand beside him and looking over at the lake she whistled.
“Great speech leader! Here they come!”
THE ATTACK COMMENCES!
Then all hell broke loose.