Perched high in the branches, away from whatever predators or scavengers might seek to interrupt its meal, the eagle tore a strip off the recently deceased hare. Its beak cut into the meat slicing halfway into it before stopping abruptly, as though deciding against the meal. It held that pause for several seconds, then spit the meat back onto the animal from whence it came.
It took to the skies, gliding cryptically through cool evening air. Its talons gripped tighter around its prey as it flew, then began to struggle against it as the animal flailed this way and that in a feeble attempt to escape its grasp. As though the fall hundreds of feet would somehow end any better for it.
Luckily the ground approached quickly, the now benevolent eagle depositing its meal on amidst tall grass. A curious sight made all the stranger by the way the eagle began a nearly vertical ascent in defiance of gravity, moving higher and higher into the sky as Celia and Victoria’s combined magical strength reversed twenty minutes of time in a matter of a few seconds.
Then the eagle struck. The rabbit writhed in panic and pain, but its future was already foretold as the eagle carried it off toward a distant treetop. And below, a Warden scouting force marched, their heavy unified steps drowning out any squeaks of pain from the rapidly receding rabbit.
“So far, so good.” Cayden said quietly.
“You just gotta jinx it, don’t you?” Shifty grinned as he idly flipped a gleaming knife and caught it by its point, all done with the sort of casual skill that came from both class levels and absurd practice.
“What?” Cayden protested. “I said things were going well!”
“It isn’t what you said, it is the tone.” Shifty replied. “You want first this time or…?”
“They aren’t much. I’ll save the MP.”
“Suit yourself.”
A silver knife ripped through overgrown foliage, striking the one mounted member of the fifteen member warden scouting party just below the jawline. It didn’t flinch, didn’t react in pain or distress to the injury. It just wheeled its mount, turning to face the source of its attacker as three more knives ripped out from the treeline. The Warden caught one of the knives in its shield, while a second nearly took its shield arm off at the elbow and a third dismounted it with a burst of force many times more impactful than the throw itself.
Cayden was on them then, with Michael quick on his heels. They moved through the crowd, swords flashing as they dismantled the basic warden infantry with remarkable ease. Even outnumbered five to one the odds were stacked hilariously in favor of the players. Just like they’d been the first time.
You have killed Warden officer
You have earned 120 XP
You have killed Warden officer
You have earned 120 XP
You have killed Warden officer
You have earned 120 XP
“Well?” Came Celia’s voice over Cayden’s audio link. Her voice sounded pained and tired as a result of the link with Victoria, but there was still no mistaking the sheer excitement behind her question. “Did it work?”
“Yeah. With flying colors.”
The idea had been so obvious that he’d almost literally kicked himself after she had explained it. Her merged ability to reset the turn could be used at varying levels of power, anything from undoing a single unit’s action, as she had done with the fighting first, to resetting a large area, to even resetting an entire turn from the beginning.
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Using an area reset, in this case one still limited to a single hex, allowed her to effectively reset an enemy unit of Wardens, even after they’d been killed. For strategic or tactical uses as part of the war effort this was a neat but ultimately useless bit of trivia. But when players got involved personally…
“So, who is up for some farming?” Cayden asked, grinning for the first time in what felt like days.
“Cayden.” Celia said, failing to restrain a giggle. “Your rural is showing."
----------------------------------------
“We need something easy to repeat.”
“Yes Michael, that is the third time you’ve told us that.” Celia’s voice was a little too sing-song sweet for a conversation that had gone on for far too long, a simple mask over barely concealed frustration.
Michael continued. “And something that gets a lot of XP per attempt.”
“You’ve said that too.” This time it was Silver who was chiding him.
“Well if any of you have a better idea, I’d be glad to hear it. Then maybe I could stop repeating the obvious.” Michael’s own patience had long since worn thin, his measured voice barely restrained from outright expressions of anger. “You know, maybe if you’d let me in on this whole Grand Quest thing from the start I’d have been able to give good advice sooner.”
“That is what you think this is?” Celia chided him, “Good advice? Hey Cayden, go down to the barracks yard and just stab a bunch of our own soldiers for the XP!”
“Yeah, when you put it that way you make me seem like a sociopath.” Michael growled.
Celia spread her hands wide. “Hey, If the shoe fits.”
“Come on. Enough.” Shifty stepped in, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
They were seated in the war room, surrounding a large wooden table strewn with maps and troop figures. Celia, Silver, Shifty and Des all knew about his unique class and abilities, and against his better judgment they had expanded that circle of confidants to include Michael and Asch. Both had already clued into the fact that Cayden had some measure of unique ability. Bringing them into the group with some measure of trust seemed like it’d be better for his secrecy in the long run than having them telling tales that would eventually make their way up to higher ranked players.
Assuming they made it out of this in the first place.
“I know it isn’t what you want to hear, but we’ve got our backs against the wall. We were looking at a struggle to hold Bastion for even a day or two. That was before Valserys died. Now we not only have to hold it for three days, but we have to do it without his bonus as a warmaster. And just how bad did that hurt us?"
Cayden winced. "Valserys was giving us a +5. Our next best is me, with a +1. It is about a 20% loss of effectiveness armywide. Even worse in any unit he'd be leading directly."
"Yeah." Michael said, gesturing to Cayden as if to say 'what he said', then looked to Celia. "How many times can you pull that rewind trick?"
"On a single hex, with the amount of magic we get per turn, and what we already have? About two dozen."
"Each time we do that, it is costing us." Michael continued. "I'm not saying that it is a bad idea to help him grind up to level 30, I'm saying that if we're going to be using a very limited and very critical resource, we need to do that in the most efficient way possible. Even if we find it distasteful."
“Distasteful?” Celia spat. “You’re asking Cayden to murder people. Hell, you’re asking me to help him murder people, and I’m not going to do it.”
“Not people, Elan. And they aren't even staying dead!” Michael retorted. “They don’t even remember the reset. He could go full Hannibal Lector on them and as soon as you reset the turn-“
“I’m telling you no, you goddam assh-“
“Celia.” Silver’s measured voice cut in, as she put her gloved hand overtop of the younger girl’s balled up fists. She then turned her attention to Michael. “What about a dungeon?”
"We'd have to find one first. We've already cleared out all the secondary tombs anywhere close to bastion. Even if we did find one, what we're looking for is officers, because the rank and file barely give single digit XP anymore." Michael shook his head. "Just do the math. At 120 a pop, he needs to kill a thousand officers, and we've only got two dozen resets to do it in. That is forty officers every single reset, and we'd rather not use them all. No way we find anywhere with that many high level Warden units."
"We could target their main force, get a big group of players together to do it?" Shifty suggested. "A bit risky, but there has to be something in there worth enough XP if we hit it hard enough, rinse and repeat."
“That is even worse.” Asch waved away the idea with an open hand. “We'd need more players to do it, which will make the overall XP drop like a stone. Plus we'd have to explain to everyone why we were repeatedly rezing a Warden army which is bound to raise some questions. And on top of all of that, there is a risk that the Wardens do remember the reset. If they do, you can be damn sure that they'll set a trap for us when the turn rolls over."
“How do you be so su-“ Shifty started to ask before noticing that Cayden, Silver and Asch were all looking at him like he had asked the stupidest question in the world. “Because you all would.”
Asch grinned despite her sour mood. “You catch on quick, big man. I don’t want to admit it, but I think Michael is right. This is the best way to use the tools we have available to us.”
“Well let’s put it to a vote.” Michael suggested.
“What is there to vote on, I’m not doing it.” Celia said firmly.
“You aren’t the only chronomancer on the floor, just the highest level one.” Asch said with surprising gentleness. “We won’t make you.”
“Cayden.” Celia looked to the young man, hoping for support, but instead finding lost in his thoughts, staring off blankly into space. “Cayden!”
“Wha… sorry, I uh-“
“Yeah, you were being an airhead. Can you back me up now please?”
“No.”
“You can’t be serious.” She protested.
“There isn't really anything to back up, Celia." Cayden said gently. "Their plan is the best one on the table, but I think I have a better way to use the tools available to us.”