In the short time since our fun little assassination, our enemies have managed to regroup but with my enhanced senses, I can tell from the expressions on their faces: their morale is right around the level of pond scum.
“It would appear our…intervention has made them a bit peeved.” I tell Grover sardonically.
Eyebrows raised, he responds jokingly, “I think I may owe you even more than thanks, perhaps my firstborn?”
“We can discuss it.” I say with faux stoicism.
“I was kidding!” he replies quickly in alarm.
“….” I merely look back at him for a moment before turning and walking toward the frontlines, a mischievous smile making its way sneakily onto my face as I do.
I feel Artemis acknowledge my destination and head to meet me, extracting herself from the attention of several scared children she had slinked off to comfort as I spoke with Grover.
The Marvelous Mages form up in a standard battle line just outside the forest proper and begin crowding into the village clearing, taking nearly the exact place the monster wave attacks begin from. Their morale may be low but their gear is top notch, mostly steel or better armor with each solider coming equipped with a main weapon and an offhand dagger or short sword stowed at their belts as well.
They truly seem to be kitted out like a fully prepared and provisioned army, pretty impressive really.
As I track my eyes across our own lines, I notice we resemble more of a militia, a smattering of different armor and leathers, many just using shields and others with just handmade spears.
The clan must have some way to gather Shop credits to be able to outfit so many compared to our own.
I watch as the downcast expressions across the open field begin to lift as they take our force in, what I take to be squad leaders handing out helpful consumables, Mana and HP potions if the colors are anything to go by.
I grimace as our own force notices, whispers of dismay reaching my ears.
I look to Grover to rally them but he looks back to me, I turn to Belina as well but she shrugs and gestures toward me as well.
Sighing with a wry smile, I raise my voice and shout with far beyond basic human lungs, “So what if they can heal or refill their Mana? That will just give you one more opportunity to grow and strike them down. They have come here to take what is ours, for no other reason than that they feel the world owes them something. And you know what? It does!” I pause here, looking into the eye of every soldier I can find before continuing.
“It owes them a swift and brutal death! Each and every one of them that dares to come and try to claim what is ours! Now, are you with me?!”
“Yes!” they reply loudly.
“I said, are you with me?!”
“YES!” they roar, their voices and their intent nearly shaking the very ground and shedding the trees of their leaves.
“THEN SHOW ME--FIGHT!” I yell, as the enemy charges our lines, my sharp eyes roving for an opportunity to make the biggest splash.
The chaos of battle swallows the clearing whole, the sound of metal on metal, grunts of exertion and most gut-wrenching of all: the screams of the dying, creating a cacophony of absolute mayhem.
In the middle of it all comes myself and my companions.
Horus swoops in to rip at exposed eyes or deflect a weapon about to strike one of our comrades, his talons channeling the power of the sun and sending blinding reflections all over the battlefield like an anamorphic disco ball.
Artemis has to get down and dirty, of course, no flying for her.
Yet, her leaps carry her in bounds over shields and projectiles as she brings down her massive paws or closes her slavering jaws on one limb after another, her white underbelly now a very monochromatic crimson in the style of a Jackson Pollock.
For myself, I channel my Style for all I`m worth, hammering blade and fist into every clan member I can get to, my righteous fury a fuel that keeps on burning, it would seem.
As the battle carries on, I notice our forces being pushed back by both sheer numbers, of which the enemy has us 2:1, but also their superior equipment which allows them to fight longer and shield themselves far better than most of our side can match.
I watch one innocent after another fall to blades and Spells from these power-hungry wannabe slavers. Grover does his best to manage our losses, turtling the main force by closing in tighter with their shield wall around the vulnerable casters and archers. But I can see it won’t be enough, our army being whittled away slowly but surely in a death by a thousand cuts.
As soon as this realization solidifies in my mind, I resolve to change things, be it fate or karma or some other philosophical phenomenon, I refuse to allow these good people to fall and certainly not to monsters such as these.
As my decision sets itself into place like solid stone, I begin to push my intent and will toward fanning the metaphysical flames of my Style within my mind. The merry blaze burns away, but by focusing on it with my consciousness in this way, I urge those flames ever higher.
All the while, I fight on, using each swing of my hatchet or strike of my fist as bellows to breathe further life into that growing flame.
I find myself surrounded by a near sea of enemies, multiple attackers coming at me at once while others wait their own turn, my battle trance-like state allowing me mere impressions of my surroundings but my focus is almost tunneled upon each current group of attackers at a time.
I land great blows like rockslides with each punch, a cutting whirlwind inhabiting each hatchet strike, each Eco Missile I launch as a distraction an even greater extension of its natural counterpart.
I begin to see a change effect my opponents now, their eyes no longer confident or determined.
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Now, when they attack me, I only see one thing lurking in those eyes…
Fear.
And I revel in it.
My speed grows faster and faster as I fall deeper into the flow of my style, a natural disaster in the offing as I build up more and more power inside that mental representation of mine, the fire now approaching the size of an apartment set ablaze.
Dimly, as I see some sort of enemy command group just beyond my attackers, I can feel a sort of…outlet for the growing will and intent that is powering the Style, something like a finishing move, although I feel it can come in many forms depending upon the situation, surroundings, and my own mental state.
As I feel that attack powering up more and more, I make a flurry of strikes, startling those used to the tempo I set until now and hammer through their loose line right toward their command group of 5 individuals standing about 15 feet back.
My ultimate Style attack, now demanding release as it shakes against the very walls of my mind appears more than ready and with a spinning leap just over the head of the group, I activate it in midair!
Wind begins to funnel around me, my centrifugal force speeding up with my hatchet at the outer edge of my very own personal tornado!
I drop down to just above head height in the air, still spinning with hatchet perfectly poised to decapitate some clansmen.
As blood begins to shoot out in great arcing sprays, I take one head after another, moving on to another group as I finish the first and then another after that!
The very air fills with a pink mist of thrown blood and blending viscera after being kicked up by my swirling vortex, the iron scent of blood saturating the area with its aroma.
A few moments later, I drop from the air as the wind fades, landing in a crouch with deep heaving breaths as I try and recover.
“That took a lot out of me…” I think to myself as I notice my Mana near empty, before Artemis interjects over our bond.
“We can share Mana and HP now, remember?” she reminds me, mentally pointing toward her and Horus’ admittedly smaller Mana pools as they are represented over our bond but still with plenty in them with their as of yet lower cost abilities.
I imbibe deeply from each, letting out a breath as strength returns to my limbs but being sure to leave at least a third of their pools left should they need them.
But, as I look up for the first time since my ultimate Style attack, I realize how empty the field looks.
At least, how empty it is besides the carpeting of dead and dying bodies strewn everywhere like some macabre carpeting.
Brows raised, I turn and look behind me at our force and notice that of the few hundred survivors, nearly every single one not busy dying or healing is just staring at me with sheer wonder.
Sheepishly giving a small, awkward wave, I look back down at the ground as quick as I can, not quite sure how to handle such feelings and eager to escape seeing them.
Artemis, sensing my discomfort, lopes over and headbutts me softly, earning a chuckle and some vigorous pets as thanks for her thoughtful comfort.
A few minutes later, as I sit there with her surrounded by blood and death, I look up at the sound of footsteps to see Grover standing over us with a kind, if strained, smile.
“You okay?” he asks with no small concern, his wide eyes roving over the large number of bodies piled around me.
“I’ll be fine.” I reply while waving his concerns toward where they belong by asking, “How is everyone else? How many did we lose?”
“Well, we have a fair many wounded and nearly as many dead but we still stand at about half strength. Much better than we would have without you…” he replies sadly, trailing off as wonder at my slaughter makes its way unbidden into his eyes and voice.
“I’m sure you would have led some to survive no matter what. You have that drive; I can see it.” I say with a frown, trying to lift his spirits and prevent them from pulling him or anyone else down as we move forward toward a likely even more uncertain future.
“Ha, all the drive in the world couldn’t let me do…this!” he declares as he gestures around us at the carnage, “We have seen a lot of strange things since this all began but this is, by far, the most magical, if certainly terrifying.”
“Well, I will admit to having some fortunate opportunities that allowed me to exhibit the abilities I do. But even if you couldn’t have done it, you would have found a way, I truly believe that.” I reply kindly.
“Maybe…maybe….” He says with a thoughtful, humoring nod, “Anyway, we now have some much better gear at the least. Not sure I like the cost though….but needs must in this new world of ours. Shame about other Players not giving XP though, would have been nice.”
“Yeah, I think it’s a part of the System trying to have as many of us survive to grow stronger without worrying about losing a huge amount to fellow humans. I imagine many would get greedy and want an easy way to advance by killing weaker humans, since we would likely generate more XP per level than most Beasts, especially. Apex does have a Contest to win, after all.” I explain.
“I suppose it did kill enough of us first…” Grover says ruefully, no small measure of painful frustration in his voice at the System and the situation it has put us all in.
“It didn’t, not really.” I say pointedly, before continuing further, “It merely fulfils its functions, doing whatever it must to achieve victory over its opponents. And that’s what it has done, it introduced Mana and dungeons and everything else. Unfortunately, that led to Beasts and the culling of our population. Likely by design, I would hazard to guess. Cutting off the dead weight, those that couldn’t survive on their own before they could hold the rest of us back. It’s cold and unfeelingly logical, but logical all the same.”
“Maybe, but it just seems more and more that the thing is out to get us.” Grover responds with a shake of his head.
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Note: Successfully attacking another settlement grants 2 free levels.
“Ha! See what I mean? It keeps pushing us to grow, even encouraging us to attack other settlements! While yes, lives will be lost, its goal will be all the closer as we act as a whetstone sharpening each other into weapons it can use to win and save our planet.” I point out as we begin making our way back toward our own force and the village, Artemis tagging along behind with Horus perched on her head.
“Hmm….I suppose I see your point. Still hate all of this, though.” He replies thoughtfully before looking back toward our own fallen with sadness etched into his features.
“Yes, the losses will continue weigh on us all but, while I can’t speak for everyone else, I am going to use it to push me to work harder, train more, and grind faster. Whatever I need to do to keep those around me safe…” I say seriously, trailing off as I too take in the bodies of the fallen before continuing fiercely, “I refuse to lose that which I hold dear if I have anything to say about.”
“I certainly intend to do the same. As do we all.” He responds solemnly, his eyes revealing a newfound depth to his conviction and drive as well.
A look I notice in nearly every other set of eyes that I see as we walk by, each nodding in respect and thanks to me and my two Companions as they gather up the fallen and loot the enemy.
“So, what are your plans now? You only have about 5 days until the Contest starts and I am dead certain you are going to get picked.” He asks as we near the longhouses and a well-earned rest.
“Well, I’ll probably spend the rest of the day and night relaxing and resting, maybe allocate my points and pick out my new Skill. Then, starting tomorrow, I intend to grind my Levels, try to hit Journeyman tier before the Contest.” I tell him, stifling a yawn as I do.
Man, using that much Mana tied to my Style really took it out of me, this is the first time I have felt truly exhausted since the System incorporated us.
“That makes sense, make sure you are really sure on your Skill choice, by the way. You only get one Skill and one Spell each tier after Basic, a lot of folks found that out the hard way while you were gone. We all pretty much figured it was to prevent us from having a hundred of them someday while only using a few. This way, you have to make your best choice possible every 10 levels and work with what you have.” Grover explains handily.
Suddenly much more awake, I reply gratefully, “Oh, thanks for telling me! Would have really pissed me off to not know and choose something I’m not 100% sure on.”
“No problem, glad I could help. I think you might be a big part of our chance to survive all this shit so if I can manage to help at all, I’m happy.” He says with a sincere smile.
“Well, that is much appreciated.” I reply, touched despite myself, “But I’m going to head to lie down, let me know if you need anything.”
Saying he will, he leaves me to my bed, my Companions, and my level up!