“Dammit. Now I owe Ian.” Marshall said.
“That’s right brother, pay up.” Ian replied.
They’d had a little side bet going on Calvin’s hand. Ian felt confident that Seth’s mad genius plan would work out great. Marshall figured he’d be the one to end up fixing it. This was awesome news though, both for Calvin and their future prospects if any of them ended up disfigured out there.
“Sorry to disappoint you Marshall. Maybe next time eh?” Calvin said, “For now, we’re feeling the crunch. We can’t sit and wait for these waves to come to us. Hell, we don’t even know if those big guys are the end of it. Something tells me they’re not.”
The group sat around the fire between their cabins. A runner from ‘Ambrosia’, the new eatery in town, had brought them a heaping platter of various new system recipes the chef was cooking up. Marshall gave Calvin a wink before tossing down a fresh meat skewer for Freya. Before the system, that would have been most certainly against the rules. She’d earned it though, and… the old rules didn’t really apply anymore now did they.
Freya happily munched down her delicious savory treat while the group carried on with their discussion.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about those red beacons out there. I’m certain that’s where the missives want us to go. We’re feeling the crunch right now and there are far too many competing priorities.” Calvin said. He’d picked up a large piece of soft flatbread to scoop up some of the delicious savory meats.
“What are you thinking?” Amy asked, “I don’t think the others are ready to defend Olympus on their own.”
“Agreed. I think we should take a group out and meet those cats, then press on to the Nightclaw queen. We’ll move quickly and take a small group. The rest we’ll leave behind to defend against the beetles. Seth, can you get a few mines prepped? Something that will help them crack the armor on those beetles.”
Seth nodded.
“Once we finish up with the Queen, come back to camp and check the scout survey. Depending on that, we’ll decide what to attack next. Ideally, we’ll finish the rest of these up today.”
The group winced at that. Fighting three bosses and a pack of devil cats in a day was a tall order. There was no time to waste. The group made to get up and get about their business but Calvin stopped them.
“I know we haven’t collected as a group much in the past few days, it’s been hectic out there. I wanted to thank you for stepping up. When this all began, it was just about making it to the next day alive. Now, we’re trying to manage a town and are putting our lives on the line for people we don’t even know. None of you had to do that, and the fact that you have means a lot. To them, and to me.”
“Aww, come on man. You’re going to make me cry.” said Marshall, “Cal, I know you feel like you need to save everyone… and, honestly, that’s exactly what you’ve done. But, it’s what we should be doing. Everything’s fucked. Do I wish I was kicking back beers on the beach right now? Hell fucking yeah I do. But we’re here, and we all got stuck with the knight in shining armor. Like… literally, now with that hand. This world needs people like you, and you need people like us. You don’t need to thank me. You’ve earned my respect, and have pulled my ass out of the fire more times than I can count. If you want to save every lost puppy out in this damned jungle, then let’s do it.”
Freya gave a little yip at that. She’d love to save a lost puppy!
Marshall slapped Calvin on the back. “Just keep us in mind when you’re giving out the Christmas bonus, yeah?”
The group finished up their meal and split up to make the preparations for the day.
Calvin headed over to the training grounds to find Liam and Sasha and explain the plan.
“Round up five strong fighters. We’re going to set out for the cats in an hour. Everyone else will stay back for the beetle wave. Have your mages meet Seth in his shop, he’s cooking up a little something to help them out. I’d like to bring Sasha with us if you’re fine covering things here.”
“That would be my preference. I’d like to stay close to the defenders. We’ll bring those beetles down in short order.” Liam said.
“Good. We’ll bring you back a souvenir. Stay safe alright?”
“Sir, we’re going to be tucked in nice and cozy behind the walls. Shit, we’ll have margaritas ready for you when you get back. Watch your ass out there.”
Liam threw out a salute and headed off to get the fighters ready.
Calvin shifted his gaze towards Sasha and inspected the sword hanging from her side. The short sword was meticulously made, with a blade that had a pattern reminiscent of damascus steel. Small waves of power thrummed off of it as it moved with Sasha.
“How’s the new sword treating you?”
“Oh, this thing is badass. I don’t think the jerkoff that had this before even knew how it worked.”
She drew the blade and let it drop point first toward the ground. The blade slammed into the ground with unbelievable force, driving itself nearly halfway into the dirt.
“It has some sort of gravity manipulation. I can make it heavier or lighter depending on my needs. I’ve been practicing it with my Tackle. Those poor kittens out there have no idea what’s coming.”
Calvin smiled appreciatively at her. “Great. We’re heading out in about an hour. Get whatever you need and meet us at the gate with your soldiers.”
----------------------------------------
The group slowed their march about ten minutes from the last known position of the Phantomclaws. They discussed the strategy again and formed up.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
They’d brought two barrier drones with them, which dutifully skittered along their flanks.
Freya’s nose was quick on the uptake. She issued a low growl of warning, causing the party to take up their positions. At the point of their formation, Calvin stood with the warriors spreading out in a chevron pattern on either side. The barrier drones, which had not yet activated, took up the flanks, ready to release the barriers at the moment of contact.
Sasha and another shield warrior held up the rear with Seth, Ian, and Marshall in the center.
Amy had gone into the brush under the cover of Static Cloak with Freya, scouting slightly ahead. The silence in the air was palpable, with only Freya’s acute sense of smell detecting any trace of the panthers.
That was… until a panther exploded out of the bushes to the left flank of their formation.
It had moved through the undergrowth in complete stealth, without even stirring a single leaf in its passage.
The barrier drone thumped into the ground and instantly erected a barrier as the panther barreled toward the flank. The panther’s movements were swift and calculated, as it zig-zagged twice before effortlessly leaping over the energy field towards the group in the center. The soldiers on that flank adjusted their stance to intercept the panther and pinch it between themselves and Sasha.
Marshall fired several pulse rounds at the airborne creature, striking two glancing blows on its flank, causing it to land slightly off-kilter. The panther was quick to recover. It dug its hind legs into the soil, kicking up a spray behind it as it leaped toward Marshall.
Sasha slammed into the creature with a Tackle sending it exploding backward. The soldiers on the flank moved quickly to pounce on the creature and end its life.
With supernatural agility, the panther rolled through its impact with the ground and dashed back into the forest.
Two more panthers immediately launched an assault on the other flank. The cats were working in unison to keep the attackers under pressure from different directions.
This time, they did not leap over the barrier and instead flanked around either side of it, slashing toward the soldiers behind. One soldier parried the slash with their sword, striking a deep wound into the panther’s paw. The other one, however, took a deep slash across their leg.
Then, two panthers attacked the other flank once again. There were now four panthers in the fight and, according to their scouting and the missive, this was all of them. The formation collapsed.
The soldiers swiftly stepped backward, forming a circle with their backs to the center. Ian sent off several bursts of Enkindle, severely wounding one panther as a small sun erupted from within its body. Sasha and Calvin circled the battlefield, looking for an opportunity to engage.
A dagger whistled out from the bushes as Amy charged a panther near the edge of the forest. It dodged the strike effortlessly and turned to return the favor with a devastating pounce. As soon as the panther’s feet left the ground, it was intercepted by an armored ball of fur with teeth.
Freya sank her fangs deep into the panther’s neck as she rode it down to the ground in a crash, ripping and slashing as the panther struggled to throw her off.
Sasha was on the beast in an instant. Her sword whistled through the air with incredible speed. As the blade came down in an arcing slash, she substantially increased its weight and separated the panther’s front half from its back half.
Freya dashed away from the panther’s corpse, rushing to Calvin’s side at his command.
Bark! he ordered.
Freya let loose her Guardian’s Challenge, drawing the attention of the remaining panthers. Each of them immediately stopped their stalking and assaults and charged in a frenzy toward Freya.
Calvin was there to intercept. He caught one panther right through the face with the tip of his spear, flinging his spear sideways, dislodging the corpse. He followed through with a sidelong swing that just narrowly missed another panther as it had the presence of mind to dodge. It barreled right past Calvin and smashed into Freya with immense force. The two furry warriors tumbled back together as the cat slashed at Freya’s armor.
Ian channeled fire into an Attuned Wall causing it to erupt directly in the other cat’s path. It was moving too quickly to avoid the wall and burst directly through the flames, igniting it as it erupted from the other side. The panther, now on fire, hit the ground and made to leap into the forest, now broken from Freya’s trance.
Unfortunately for the immolated creature, Amy was there to meet it. She slashed as the feline torch flew past her. The potent shadowthorn toxin of her new blade quickly began its work on the wound, now running down the panther’s side. It let out a horrifying cry as the thorns began spreading from the wound, injecting the creature with paralytic toxin. As it continued its retreat through the jungle, its steps became slower and less coordinated. Its head dragged closer to the dirt and eventually, it came to a tumbling stop, completely paralyzed.
Amy was there in a flash, ending the creature’s suffering. While they were out here to kill these creatures. There was no reason for them to needlessly suffer the way this one would have.
Before Amy returned, Calvin and Freya had finished off the final panther. The soldiers had taken mostly minor wounds, the worst of which was the nasty slash that cut through one soldier’s thigh. He’d reacted quickly and gotten a bandage on it soon after it happened, and now Marshall was patching him up.
“Good work everyone. Those damn things were practically invisible.” Calvin said.
The soldiers still glanced uneasily out into the forest, not entirely trusting that they’d dealt with all of them.
“We’ll rest here for an hour, grab some food, and then move out.” Calvin ordered.
The group began settling in and unpacking the food they’d brought along with them for the journey.
Barely 20 minutes had gone by before the silence was broken by what sounded faintly like Marshall’s pulse weapon fire. But Marshall was here, and the sound was further down their path. The group was up on their feet in an instant, fully on alert.
“You hear that Cal?” Seth asked.
“I did, that’s not Olympus.” Calvin replied.
Calvin turned back to the others, “Alright, gear up. We need to go check that out.”
They hurried down the path, caution taking a back seat as frantic pulse fire continued to ring out. It was getting closer now. Freya charged ahead of the group to get a closer look.
Through their link, Calvin could hear human voices shouting.
Humans came Freya’s thoughts.
“Look sharp everyone, we’ve got people up ahead.”
The group crested a small hill and were confronted with a chaotic scene before them.
An enormous panther, easily pushing 1,000 lbs and standing 8 feet from paw to shoulder was dashing back and forth, avoiding weapon’s fire as it closed the distance with a pair of humans.
Calvin noticed how the group moved in a precise formation, exchanging commands while executing a tactical retreat in an orderly manner. As one of them fell back to new cover, their partner would provide cover fire, then switch positions to provide cover once more, leapfrogging their way backward toward the forest’s edge.
This was the Nightclaw queen. She closed in rapidly on the pair of soldiers and Calvin could see that they stood absolutely zero chance of surviving the encounter without help. As the thoughts materialized in his brain, an intensely powerful blast ripped out from the opposite side of the battlefield and slammed directly into the queen’s flank, searing a burning wound into it. The queen roared and spun around to locate the new threat.
Calvin followed the shot to the source and saw small flickers of movement as something shifted behind a large stone. Another shot rang out, this time missing the Nightclaw queen just barely. It was another soldier.
The Nightclaw queen reared up on her hind legs and slashed forward several times with her claws. Condensed blades of wind cut through the air at supersonic speed toward the hiding soldier, who quickly ducked behind the boulder for cover. A sonic boom from the blades’ passage buffeted Calvin’s group.
Calvin gave the order, it was time to assist.