The hotel lobby was relatively undisturbed. A battery powered water fountain sat in the corner on a small table still trickling. Aiden was surprised at the things that had survived this invasion. The fountain was built with a water tank attached to replace what evaporated. It had a small solar panel charger for it's battery in the window. Designed with low maintenance in mind, it would now be a reminder of the time when humans lived unafraid. He watched the water splash in the pool at the bottom of the feature for a while. The other three had immediately started strategizing. Ashlee wanted to rush in while they were still organizing, and take everything head on. Traestin and Greg wanted to lure small groups into ambushes. Amon kept suggesting heading out in a wide circle to flank the shrine dwellers, who would expect them to continue from he direction they were seen.

"They would not fall for the flank. Those we have seen here are clearly much different in the area around the shrine. They are empowered much more than I had expected when you described this place. We could try the other plans, but the have patrols everywhere. Flanking them is out. How would you go about luring them into ambushes," Aiden asked looking away from the water finally.

Everyone looked a bit surprised he had interjected.

"We stay on the edges, and make sure nothing gets behind us. Greg and myself will use high points to alert enemies to our presence. Places with few routes up. Between the two of us, we can take out small groups if they choose to run. If any make it out of our attack, we retreat and approach from another angle. You will all protect the pathways up to us, and jump out to finish any that choose to fight. Aiden will need to see all of us at all times, so your positioning is important. We carve our way to the corruption," Traestin explained. His hands played out the scenarios of the ground in between them all, sometimes using object snatched from around him.

"How often will we need to take breaks for your spirit," Aiden asked Greg.

"I use mana, which is another ambient source of energy. More volatile in nature. This will not be anything to be concerned with in this plan. After using a few spells, I will wait for my power to return. Traestin's skills are complementary to this cycle. His attacks build points that skills consume. We will be alternating higher damage output periods," Greg replied.

"We will end up having to do both. I think we can chip at them for a while, but they will catch on. We will have to find a good place to fight when outnumbered in the end. A simple choke point," Aiden moved a few pieces of the junk on the floor. "It's safe to assume they will have some sort of longer range attacks, so we will need to force them in to a kill box will being out of view. We stay on one side to avoid crossfire. A nice walled in corner we can improvise a platform so Traestin and Greg can aim down over our front line."

"The bar about two blocks from the church has a small truck dock for deliveries," Ashlee said pointing to the right of the church. "We will have to take a longer route to avoid getting too close to the shrine, but it would be the best spot I know of. There is already a platform trucks back up to. I can bring groups to us with my intimidate skill as well."

"Perfect. Let's get moving," Aiden replied.

Amon stood up, and looked out the window. "We should find another exit, the area is still under heavier watch. We need breathing room," he said a bit quieter than they had been speaking before.

They moved behind the desk through the closest door opposite to the entrance, which led to what seemed like a small home off the back of the lobby. They searched several rooms, and ended up in the kitchen. A clear path seemed visible out the window, and Amon volunteered to head out first. From the parking lot they started heading around towards the bar quickly and quietly. Once they felt enough distance was made from the last engagement Traestin and Greg looked for a good vantage point for their first ambush. Spotting a few patrols and watch groups along the way, Traestin finally picked a spot to set up. Both he and Greg climbed a dumpster, up a sign, and onto the roof of a small restaurant. Greg needed a hand a few times, but there was only one way up, which made it an ideal perch. Aiden had to climb to the sign himself to keep them in view.

The closest group was standing watch. A patrol had just passed them, and they were more vigilant after hearing the news of something killing a few of them. One was very different from the other, almost like a small feral version of Greg. Aiden tried to see more details of everything within his view all at once, which turned out to be more than he'd expected. There was a significant amount of hallucinatory text. Not ideal for battle. Checking the creature quickly, he wiped everything other than their health percentages, and returned his attention to the two above him.

Kobold Scrapper, Level:6, Health 100%

Two goblins were looking down opposite side of the street on either side of the kobold. They had longer knives than the last ones, more of a shorter set of swords. Aiden felt the air move like it was being drawn to the trio. Looks of panic formed on each of their faces, and all were completely immobilized in less than a second. He saw little patches of frost of their skin. They were almost frozen solid, but still alive. A decent chunk of health had been taken.

Being a live popsicle is not much of an upside though. Aiden checked their health statuses and saw the freeze was temporary. After eight seconds they would be back to dangerous. Eight seconds was more than they had needed. Traestin had begun firing arrows from his seemingly endless quiver full. Every few shots one would hit with a force that shattered one of the frozen targets. Aiden even got in a few shots with his wand. It didn't do much, but it also wasn't nothing. His skill with wands level twice in just the one short barrage. Ashlee moved out from the side of the building and grab both weapons that were dropped on the ground. A small upgrade from the wooden one she was using. The extras went into Amon's pack for safe keeping.

Traestin pointed in the direction of the nearest isolated group, and Ashlee went off to bring them over. She came running around the corner at a full sprint with her back turned. Another unexpected turn appeared just after her. There seemed to have been another group nearby and she was running from seven targets. Amon rushed out to meet her as she turned around and raised her shield. The pressure shifted again as Greg caught all but one in his icy prisons. The kobold was short enough that Ashlee crouched a little to catch his spear, that stuck into her arm slightly through the wood. The momentum of the charge allowed for a small wound, and decent damage to land, but Ashlee rolled in response. The spear was ripped from the kobold's hands, and Amon started landing punches and kicks faster than Aiden's eyes could follow. He close the wound are her arm, and started channeling his spirit into using cure. Her health filled up faster from another skill level in the middle of casting.

Cure Level 4.

His strength was growing fast in a few areas, but it was taking noticeably more to achieve another level every time. Traestin had smashed half of the frozen group, and Greg fired a few electric bolts into the kobold that was free. One of them arced directly into it's open mouth, causing the kobold's tongue to explode, spraying Ashlee with an almost purple blood splatter before it fell. Aiden could see the frost wearing off the last three as Traestin shattered one more. Ashlee yelled and rushed forward, her body smashing through the last two before they thawed. She turn around, took a few steps, and fell into a sleeping pose on the ground.

Aiden checked her a few times. He healed some minor scratches and bruising, but other than that she seemed fine.

"Raged out," Amon laughed, answering his unasked question. "I don't miss that. She be up in a few seconds."

Traestin and Greg had climbed down, and started heading out towards the loading dock again. They were swinging a bit wider than Aiden would've liked. Adrenaline would only keep him awake for so long. The sun had been rising for a while now. A few beams crept over the horizon, making him regret skipping his rest even more. His tired body carried him to the next ambush zone. He kept popping into any store with food they passed, and he lucked into an energy drink stock in one of them. Everyone was getting into position, while Aiden was sitting with a backpack filled with anything calorie dense he had passed. The tired priest tossed stick of beef jerky at everyone. The snack break bolstered their morale for the next set of encounters. Things were going smoothly, and everyone adapted quickly. A kobold archer had caught Greg with an arrow once, but other than that Aiden only had to lightly patch and heal Ashlee. She had to grab the attention of a tougher goblin in one fight, and Aiden was amused by the way her skill seemed to be powered by an insult. He realized this whole time she must've been walking off, shouting something offensive at otherworldly monsters, and running back to the group repeatedly. On the easier engagements he practiced a few more casts of smite. It seemed harder to flow through him here, but also did a bit more damage when he landed the hit. He had gained two levels before the bar finally came into view. One point went into wisdom again, which was now more noticeable. The ease in casting with a lesser drain on his energy took the edge off the constant fighting.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

His fifth level came to him just before their destination. No snacks or drinks were powering him forward by the point. He took a chance, and increased his stamina once.

Health and Fitness increased. Total overall health gained, and you will find sustained action to be easier.

The effect was significant. He felt a second wind rush into his muscles and mind. The fatigue was still present, but it wasn't as overwhelming as before. The satisfaction only grew after rounding the corner, and the dock came into sight. Everyone passed smiles, and a few nods towards their fighter. Her idea was perfect. Aiden broke bottles from the dumpster and layered glass shards all over the ledges that trucks usually backed into. Amon was sliding debris in different areas to control the influx from their choke point. Ashlee had gone into the bar, coming out with several bottles and cloth. Traestin flashed a devious smile, and walked over to help make the fire bombs. Greg was stacking things near the ledge to use as cover. While having a healer was nice, he still didn't enjoy being shot with arrows. With preparations taken care of, everyone took position and Aiden ate some jerky while twirling his wand. He was scrutinizing the symbol that was given to him, and wondering how it helped his casting.

Minor Trinket of Eir, Spirit +11, Wisdom +1. This carving was blessed by a follower of the goddess Eir.

He didn't have much time to ponder the existence of goddesses, as Ashlee had returned. She shuffled backwards to keep a group of kobolds on the other side of her shield. Greg froze all but one, and they all started shattering each one by one. Amon rushed the untouched kobold, and launched it with a kick off the wall into the alley again. The kobold saw everyone else being defeated, and chose to retreat as they had hoped. He would bring the rest. Greg grabbed some chocolate from Aiden, took the bottles, and climbed up to the roof. It didn't take much time before he wave his hand to signal it was time. A seemingly endless stream started to pour like a swarm from the alleyway. A few were charred far more significantly than the fire bombs could have achieved. Greg clearly had a fire spell as well, and the combination was devastating. Some of the enemies looked more like zombified charred remains being forced into the front lines by the rest. The smell was tough to breath. Aiden found himself coughing and gagging a few times in between healing. Both Amon and Ashlee were requiring a lot of cleansing and healing. Constant infections and wounds were pushing Aiden below half spirit already. They were only holding on due to every increased main level fully restoring them. Ashlee's rage gave her enough energy to use her shield walk skill often, which gave Aiden a bit of a break. She knelt into her shield taking a barrage of weapons while shouting the most obscene string of insults into the crowd. The skills kept the focus and her, and her shield undamaged. Amon held a second line, finishing anything that tried to get around Ashlee. Tristan was picking off the enemies with the lowest health first, thinning the crowd. He blinded the longer ranged enemies with an arrows or two into their eyes as soon as they rounded the corner. Things were going smoothly until something they hadn't counted on created trouble. The sheer number of enemies dying built up a pile of corpses in front of them, giving the rest the ability to start climbing. Ashlee was having a harder time raising her shield upward, and the small boost gravity gifted the creatures was wearing her strength.

"To the roof! Ashlee and I will follow," Aiden shouted over the clash of the small war. Traestin and Amon didn't argue, and rushed up. The archers rained piercing shots faster than before from the roof, which provided some cover for Ashlee's climb. Amon helped pull her up and she lost consciousness and was carried to a safe distance. Aiden screamed, smiting the goblins that climbed faster. They were trying to make it up to the roof, but Amon kept kicking them down. Aiden could see there were less than fifty left on the ground, and they had given up on trying to climb. Some were bashing walls and supports trying to collapse the building, others were throwing whatever they could find as rage had consumed them. Aiden was chugging a gallon of milk, which he passed to Amon. The Jackal looked at him beaming with an out of place joy.

"I think we can rely on your more than you'd like to admit. Ashlee may be down, but she is alive. I know you will have my back," Amon said walking to the opposite edge. "Time to shatter again," he told Greg, and hopped off the roof into the street at the front. Greg and Traestin rushed to the other edge, letting out frustrated and exhausted grunts. It did solve the problem of losing sight lines on the enemies, but the charge was in unison. Aiden pushed channeled his cure skill with everything he could. Having gotten used to the feeling, he flexed his connection to his power like a muscle. Pushing it harder than he had normally.

Empowered cast is draining more spirit per second. Watch your pool.

The system warned him while showing the drop visually. It was worth every drop, as they skill was actually weaving into Amon more effectively. His wounds closed rapidly at the same time his health was filling. Everything happened faster than the ambushes. Goblins and kobolds fell, shattered, and exploded around Amon. He was crushing skull after skull, hands and feet covered in pieces of his foes and their blood. Even the empowered cast failed to keep Amon over ten percent and he fell. Traestin and Greg had finished the last of the army, while Aiden had kept Amon's health from reaching the zero point of death. Traestin did not bother to climb, and instead jumped down to carry Amon back up the other side. Everyone laid flat next to each other, breathing heavily. Aiden, Greg, and Traestin passed around energy drinks from their scavenge. The priest used his regenerating spirit to prop everyone back up over eighty percent health, and then they rested.

"That takes care of most of it, but we still have to clear the shrine," Traestin told Aiden. "We shouldn't waste time. As soon as they're up, we go in. With their army gone, the darkness inside will be rushing their sacrifices. They will be strengthened by what they have already performed. While they did enhance these around us, I have no doubt it was not an equal share."

A significant force has been vanquished. You have received a reward based on your contributions.

A staff appeared in the blink of an eye, rested on Aiden's chest. It was made of a nice wood, and both ends had round metalwork with small crystals. Designs etched into most surfaces were mostly familiar. It was nice, but all Aiden could think of was the prisoners and sleep.