Staying behind at the village of Kilmainham were Ksenia, all fifty Justice Sect members, and fifty soldiers. There was a choice to protect the village as well as the castle, but in the end, they decided against it. Already, they were spreading themselves thin through strategy. In war, strategy went only so far against raw numbers.
The Dalcassians army, or Dal Cais, would be led by Marchad, the High King’s son. The Munsters, also once under the High King, would go to Mothla mac Domnaill mic Fáeláin, King of the Déisi Muman, and Magnus mac Amchada, King of Uí Liatháin. Indeed, the High King was a man of many armies and influence. If not for his old age, the fight against the Vikings would have been a decisive victory.
Next came the Connachta, led by Mael Ruanaidh Ua hEidhin and Tadhg Ua Cellaigh. Finally, there were the Otherworlders, each led by a guild representative. Ultimately, the Otherworlders were divided into two armies. One consisted of the Templar Knights and Holy Dynasty who were leading the charge and commanded by Cillian. The remaining Otherworld forces waiting for their time with the normal soldiers were linked by Griffith of the Red Dragons.
Six main forces, six large armies worth hundreds, that would all meet at Clontarf and Dublin City. That was the expectation.
Unknown to the enemy, there were the two small groups that were prepping for an ambush. One that would go through the river and into the sewer system and the second that would arrive at Dublin Bay behind the Vikings.
All of that and more weighed on Kazi’s mind, despite it not needing to. The plan was done. There was nothing else he could say. There was a reason he volunteered to fight at Dublin Bay to ambush the Vikings.
‘To decrease visibility, Jack is likely going to arrive on one of the Viking ships. After all, hiding his killing spree would be best on sea where bodies are impossible to find.’
Kazi had come to learn the same thing he always had: he was the strongest here. Besides maybe Booker, no one else here was on his level. Not really. The enemy also possessed such an infallible player, though they likely did not know.
Arms crossed, he considered his opening move. What would he do when he faced Jack? Use the element of surprise? How? He was a former Champion—not just a player, a Champion. Catching him off guard would be next to impossible.
“What’s got you thinking, big brain?” Noor approached him, a gold necklace, purple straight-cut lehenga chol, staff, and all. A new staff, mind you, made of gold and fitted with a purple crystal at the end. The magical power was a step above his Arboreal Guardian’s Spectre.
“Nothing much. You ready?”
“I’ve been training at Valhalla’s Colosseum for days,” Noor said. “I’m Level 23. If I can’t live after all that, Mr. Unknown Level, then I deserve to die.”
Kazi frowned. “Don’t say that.”
“Hey, you see that?” she asked, avoiding the subject.
Outside the village were green plains. The horses were getting ready at the behest of the Templars and Holy Knights.
In front of them, Samuel muttered, “In the realm where shadows wane and moonlight gleams. Beneath the stars, in ethereal dreams. Hear my call, O noble companion divine. Rise from the astral plane, with grace entwined. Hooves upon celestial paths, echo in the cosmic stream. A bond forged by mystic threads, a union unseen. With armor glistening, and mane like flowing fire. Awaken, my steed, with strength that won't tire. By sacred oath, by ancient rite, I summon you now, my guardian of the night. Together we ride, under the moon's soft glow, In the Templar's embrace, our power shall grow. Summon: Brady!"
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A hand on the ground, a magical circle was created and a horse was materialized. Noor gaped. Kazi blinked twice. The horse was garbed in white Templar armour. More importantly…
“You see that?” Noor asked. “All of them can do it.”
Indeed. One by one, the Templars did the same action with some omitting the incantation and all having named their horses differently. Emma, for example, summoned the horse without a long-winded incantation. All she said was, “In the Templar’s embrace, our power shall grow. Summon: Becky!"
Kazi glanced at Samuel’s horse, Brady. It was Level 8 and had a dash where the class was supposed to be.
‘I sense extra magic inside it.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘Did that chant give it a buff or something?’
“Ride up!” Samuel gestured at Kazi to ride and Emma did the same to Noor. The two accepted and took their backseat spots.
“How did you do that?” Noor asked Emma.
“Guild secrets,” Emma replied, winking. “Jealous?”
“I want to summon a huge elephant and spam spells, so yes, I am.”
“You both have the Animal Trainer Class equipped,” Kazi noted. “I’m guessing it has to do with that?”
“Oh, right.” Samuel glanced up at the information he was unable to see of himself. “Guess it’s not that big of a mystery.”
“Yeah, but like…” Emma opened her lips, shaking her head to show her uncertainty. Samuel shrugged.
“Okay, so every Templar is told the conditions to the Animal Trainer Class and given a horse to tame. It's, like, a tradition. The Holy Dynasty is the same since, well, they were apart of the Templars once,” Samuel explained.
“So what is the condition?” Kazi asked.
Samuel laughed. “Good one. I’m not telling you.”
The Holy Knights and Templar Knights were almost ready. In a minute, it would be time to set off.
“Woah! Hey!”
There he was. Kazi smiled as William arrived next to him on a shaky horse. “William, you look like you’re having fun.”
The rider, Max, seemed to have trouble controlling the horse. William looked tempted to take control of the horse himself.
“Y-yeah, I’m good.” William held onto the saddle for dear life. “By the way, I never got to ask, do we know who wins this battle?”
Kazi grinned. “We do.”
“O-okay, but which parts? Was it a massacre or did both sides have huge death tolls or what?”
“Deaths tolls were overall even on both sides. Unfortunately, history was never able to record the order of the battle so we don't know which specific battlefields were the most bloody,” Kazi said. “We should be fine though. The places we’re plundering aren’t well-fortified since our enemy centralized all their troops at the capital. If there's death, we won't be involved in it just yet.”
“We better,” William muttered. The horse began to walk on its own with Max failing to make it stay still. “Hey, Kazi. Let’s make it out of this alive, ‘kay?”
William held out a fist for him to bump. Chuckling, Kazi gently knocked on it.
“Yeah.”
Such a simple promise. Who knew it would be so tough to keep?
Gate 10 was truly beginning. Battles would be waged. Players would be celebrated. Death and tears were spread like wildfire.
Cillian raised his sword.
Off they went.
The first territory to plunder—Finegall. Where the Holy Knights carried smaller, cheaper circular shields, the Templar were equipped with large kite-shields that deflected the oncoming rain of arrows. No one would die. The System made them borderline resistant to arrows.
The same could not be the same for their horses.
Luckily, the Templars had planned in advance. Their card in this specific instance was Cillian who ran forward and raised his shield up.
"By the light that guides my shield,
In the name of honor, undismayed,
I call upon the heavens high,
Sacred Bulwark, shield the sky!"
A colossal semi-transparent barrier of gold appeared above them. Cillian, representative of the Templars, accomplished what the archers thought impossible—prevent a single arrow from landing. The soldiers, Templars, and Holy Knights were lined-up behind Cillian perfectly. The two hundred and fifty horse riders were sync as they ran forward with speed.
‘No wonder they were so confident in plundering…’ Kazi watched the massive square of light fend off the arrows like nothing. He leaned to the side and barely made out Cillian’s Class: Intermediate Shieldsman.
Their hopes crushed, at the halfway point, the enemy archers stopped trying. There was no elaborate gate to break through, the village of Finegall was there. Soldiers were waiting for them, arms raised in surrender.
The journey had taken less than an hour and the battle was a tenth of that. Finegall was plundered.