Warbreaker's Rage: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure (The Connected System Book 3), page 49
“The elf seems to be doing her job,” Darren remarked, pointing at a spot beyond the mass of fighting.
Loch followed, trying to figure out what he meant. Then, a gaunt at the back of the pack fell, hitting the ground and not getting up. Now that he knew what to look for, Loch could see more bodies lying on the ground. The mass of gaunts had not noticed that someone was attacking them from the rear.
Elora had started back behind the lines, helping reinforce the wall. As a Deep Ranger, she was meant to be in the wilds, using stealth to ambush her opponents. Her primary Class focus was as a scout, but she had enough offensive Abilities to make a decent DPS attacker. She’d insisted on staying with Loch. As his Bannerman, it was where she had to be.
He disagreed. Being on a wall, combat like they were facing, was not a good use of her Abilities.
Loch had sent her out, heading north into the field, moving past the wall, circling around the gaunt horde. Her job had been a simple one. Kill and create chaos. She was killing, but the chaos wasn’t happening. It wasn’t that the Drones were disciplined; it was just they were single-minded. Her killing those along the edges wasn’t getting noticed.
But still, each kill was one less Drone to attack the wall.
Loch fought the urge to rush down into the fighting. He was wasted on the wall, not able to bring his full strength and Abilities to bear. With all their forces now engaged or resting from fighting, there was no relief or reserve squads.
There was just him.
He was the relief.
If there was a break in the line of defenders, Loch was the one to plug it.
Which meant he had to wait on the roof. Loch was not handling it well.
It was hard to watch the battle and not participate. If he hadn’t wanted to test the bomb, he would have stayed down below. But that had its negatives, as he couldn’t watch the ebb and flow of the battle and know the best place to be. He could have been on the north side of the wall and never know if the south side needed him.
Loch could tell that Darren felt the same. He wanted to be down in the thick of it as well.
The parapet was lined with archers, all firing into the mass of gaunts. There were so many that none of the low Level archers were missing. Not all arrows were kill shots, but wounded gaunts would be easier for others to kill. Kim kept firing blasts of fire into the gaunts. Being Level Five, Kim didn’t have many Abilities yet. As an Elementalist, she only had Fire and Earth elements at her Level. Being on the roof, she was too far away to use the Earth Manipulation Ability she had.
Fire it was, and she kept launching as many blasts as she could, only stepping back when she had no choice but to let her Spirit Reserves regenerate. Being stuck in combat, the regeneration was slow.
Piper was in the same situation but with her wand. She could get off more attacks but still had to sit back and wait for her Spirit to recharge.
She was sitting against the wall, knees drawn up, arms around them. Cerie sat on her shoulder, her glow as dim as she could make it. Piper leaned her head against her knees. From where he stood, Loch could see the small motions of her shoulders. Piper was crying. He gave the battle a quick look. He could be spared for a minute or two.
“Pipes?” he asked, crouching down in front of her.
Piper lifted her head, sniffling a bit. She ran her sleeve across her face, wiping away tears. Or trying to. Her robe was still soaked from the rain, dripping water onto the roof.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Her voice wavered, telling Loch that she really wasn’t.
“Talk to me, Pipes.”
She turned her head, looking toward the parapet and the fighting. Flares of light, all different colors, flashed as different Abilities were used. The school shook as a Shaman’s fireblast slammed into the building.
Piper shuddered.
“War sucks,” Loch said, reaching out and grabbing her knee. She looked at him. “This is different from all the other fighting, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“I’m sorry. I should have let you stay inside.”
“No,” she said, voice quiet. “I’m strong. I needed to be here. It’s just…”
Loch squeezed her knee.
“Hey, it’s fine. We’re all scared, and being up here, shooting down into them? It is different from when they’re charging right at you and there’s no choice but to fight. This is…”
Loch wanted to say “cruel,” but he knew that wouldn’t help her. He knew what she was feeling; he felt it too. It was necessary for the ranged to be on the roof, to fire down into the crowd of gaunts that couldn’t do anything to defend themselves—shooting fish in a barrel, as the old saying went. It wasn’t honorable, not that it should have been a concern. But it was how Loch felt.
One on one? Defending or attacking as the enemy bore down on him with the intent to kill? Far different. In the combat he’d seen as a soldier, when there had been distance between him and the enemy, even when he couldn’t see who he was shooting at, he knew the enemy was still shooting back at him.
“If those gaunts get through the wall, they’ll kill everyone they come across,” Loch said, voicing what he was thinking, how he was justifying everything. “They won’t stop. They have us outnumbered. For everyone that is killed by someone up here, that’s one less the defenders on the wall will have to face. That one death now could save many lives later.”
Piper nodded. He wasn’t sure if she was really understanding. He wasn’t sure if he was.
What was he supposed to tell a thirteen-year-old kid?
“Is Harper back?”
Piper was looking at him with such a look of need. He didn’t know how to respond. Loch was barely holding it together. He was worried about Harper and wanted to rush out and find her, but he couldn’t. He had to be there at the battle. And he’d sent his daughter, only fifteen, out into the wilds and into danger. Guilt ate at him.
And now Piper wanted to know where her sister was.
Loch wanted to know. If not for the battle, having to focus and pay attention, he’d be a mess. It wasn’t just that she was in danger. Since the Connection, she’d been in plenty of danger. It always worried him but he’d been letting her have more responsibility.
It was how she was missing. Davis had come back, practically chased by an army of gaunts. Harper had stayed behind to scout out numbers. She should have been back by now. How much longer would it have taken to scout out the gaunt army?
“I…” Loch started, turning when Darren shouted.
Loch couldn’t hear him, but it didn’t sound good.
“I have to go,” he said, rushing back to the parapet.
Piper watched her dad rush back to the wall. He quickly left, climbing down the hatch and disappearing back into the fight. She wanted to call out, to tell him to stay.
“Don’t leave me.”
As a child, it was what she had said to him at night sometimes when she was feeling sad or scared.
“I’ll be right there,” he’d reply, pointing to his room across the hall. “I’ll always be there.”
She’d never tell him, not now that she was older, but Dad was her rock. She knew he’d always be there when she needed him. That thought helped her when she was scared. She wanted him now but knew he had to be there for others. There was more to his family than just her and sister. So many more that needed her dad to be the rock.
“Harper is fine,” Cerie said.
Piper just nodded. She was scared for Harper.
They’d all faced danger before. But this battle was different. There were so many enemies. So much noise. Piper had been scared facing the Spider Queen. But by the time they’d reached the last Boss in the Challenge Dungeon, the Lich, she hadn’t been as scared. Even the other fights hadn’t been as bad as this battle.
Dad had been right; he usually was. A battle like this was different.
She didn’t like killing but at least all the other fights had been in defense. This one, she was shooting gaunts that would never be attacking her. At least if things went the way they were supposed to. It was defense, but it just wasn’t the same.
Piper hated the Connected System. Why couldn’t things go back the way they had been?
She saw bright flashes of light past the roof’s parapet, the sounds of increased fighting. Somehow, she knew that it was her dad.
She had to help. All she’d done in the fighting had been firing her wand. There was more she could do, but when? That was the question. It wouldn’t last for long. She had to time it just right.
Piper reached into the spatial bag, pulling out the magical sketchbook. She ran her fingers across the leather cover.
How would she know when it was time?
Chapter Fifty-Four
The clouds had cleared, letting the bright moon shine through. What had been dark was now lighter. The moon since the Connection was brighter. Just like the Earth and the weather, the moon had gotten more extreme. The storm clouds had blocked it out, the only light the flashes of lightning.
Now Loch could see much more of the battle as his feet left the concrete steps and onto ruined pavement. He ran down the hill, past the fights along the wall, eyes focused on the far end and the fields.
Darren had spotted it from above, had watched the movements of the gaunts and anticipated where they were going. All the Clan defenders were at the wall now, a small handful resting and waiting to replace those fighting. There were no more reserve teams, some on the south to keep that line secure. The plan had been good, but it hadn’t lasted.
There were just too many gaunts.
Most of the gaunts were concentrated on the north side of the school. Just enough on the south to occupy those squads, not let them help reinforce the north. He’d expected them to try and go around the barrier by the water, but the gaunts seemed to refuse to enter. It was like they knew the Dragon Turtle was in the lake. The south side was holding steady.
For now.
On the north, the gaunts had started spreading out further along the wall. It spread the defenders, more space between them, more gaps for gaunts to exploit. But what worried Darren was the large group heading further north, not stopping to assault the wall. They looked intent on going around it.
The Clan had run out of material to build the wall with. There were only so many logs they could harvest, even with their Adapted bodies. They’d gone most of the way to the fields, stopping at the top of the hill. A small part of wall had been constructed, running along the top of the slope, hoping to make the gaunts think the wall was continuous.
It had appeared to work. The gaunts hadn’t realized that the wall didn’t continue.
They probably still didn’t, Loch figured, they were just thinking of assaulting the wall from the side, causing the defenders to spread out even further. Leaving larger gaps of undefended wall.
The entire battle would be over once the gaunts realized how open the side was.
Loch had to prevent that.
There wasn’t much in the way of tactical thinking by the gaunts. With their numbers, Loch would have spread them out along the wall to begin with. And had them show up all at once. Instead, they’d come in smaller groups and all concentrated on a smaller area of the wall. That was changing now. Loch assumed the Captain, if that gaunt was a Captain, had finally started to alter the attack plans.
Or someone else was now directing the gaunts.
Loch Activated Windstep. His range wasn’t enough to cover the full distance to the corner of the wall, but it managed to put him ahead of the gaunts. It took two more Windsteps to hit the corner. He kept his momentum out of the last Step, pushing off and jumping over the wall. He landed on the ground outside, sliding across the slick mud.
Turning as he slid, Loch threw Onyx, the axe shrinking as it spun end over end. It slammed into the chest of the gaunt in the lead, knocking the monster back and into the next ones. They fell, tripping others.
A growl came from the side.
Loch turned, just getting the returned Onyx up in time to catch the slashing paw. He deflected the giant wolf’s paw up and away as he twisted his body. The hound landed on the ground where Loch had been, its bulk sliding on the mud. Loch pulled Onyx back, slashing the axe into the side of the hound. It didn’t cut deep, the angle poor and too close to get strength behind the attack. It did push the hound to the side, giving Loch more room.
He Activated Cleave, the axehead glowing as it slammed into the hound’s front shoulder joint. Strength and the power of the Ability cut all the way through, slicing the limb from the monster. It fell, and Loch stepped back to avoid the heavy body. He swung again, cutting into the neck. The hound’s head rolled to the side.
Loch leaped over the dead monster as the multi-colored sparks of Spirit flowed into his body. There wasn’t much, the hound being too low Level, but it was enough to push him over the line to Level Twenty-Four. He felt the power fill him. His Health increased, filling to maximum, along with his Spirit. He didn’t have time to assign the Attribute Points. That would have to wait.
Swinging Onyx horizontally in front of him, Loch unleashed Thunderclap. Waves of pressure slammed into the rushing gaunts, knocking the ones further away down onto the ground, tripping others. The ones closer fell back as wounds appeared across their bodies, the pressure waves cutting into them.
Before any could recover, Loch was among them. He Activated Bulwark, spikes growing out of the shield as he slammed it into a gaunt trying to stand. Onyx swung at another, cutting deep. He kept moving, not stopping. The individual gaunts couldn’t truly hurt him. There was always a chance one could get lucky, but he didn’t stop and didn’t give them a chance.
There was nothing quality about the kills except for the quality inherent in quantity. Each kill gave him a small amount from creatures that should give him none. Loch feared he’d just realized another reason why Clans fought other Clans. Large battles like this gave a lot of experience.
He kept pushing, not every strike or blow equaling a kill. Some of the gaunts ended up dying to their fellow monsters. He’d knock them down, the monsters trampled under the feet of those reaching to get at him.
Loch cleared a path in front of him with Elemental Surge, the path behind closing up as gaunts turned their attention toward him and not their orders. That was what Loch wanted. More gaunts fell, and the air around Loch filled with multi-colored sparks of energy. He could feel the pressure as they pushed the front ranks tight into him.
Another swing and push with the energy shield. Shifting to avoid a sword attacking his undefended right side. Loch was tiring. His reckless charge had accomplished what he wanted, drawing the gaunts away from the weak part of the defenses. The longer they focused on him, the more reinforcements could hit the wall. He just wasn’t sure when to Windstep away. Loch knew it had to be soon. Pushing out with Elemental Surge, Loch cleared the space in front of him, seeing the wall beyond. Line of sight would get him to the top with Windstep.
He felt the presence beyond the gaunts, coming from his right.
The Drones parted, separating like a wave. A new gaunt stepped into the now clear space.
GRAY GAUNT ELITE MARAUDER
Loch adjusted his grip on Onyx, feeling the gaunts behind him backing away. The monsters formed a ring. Loch expected them to start cheering on the Marauder. They were still silent, standing almost straight, arms to the side as if given a signal to stand down.
Maybe they had been. The Drones showed a lot of hive-mind behaviors, and the Connected System identified them as drones. That name had to have meaning. They had followed in each other’s footsteps exactly, had mindlessly charged the walls and never showed initiative in their tactics.
This Marauder was different. It moved with purpose and thought, eyes moving, not narrowly focused on Loch. It was watching his movements, waiting to see how Loch would react. It was the same height as the Drones, a little bulkier with more muscle. The Elite Marauder’s steps were more graceful. In one hand, it held a long sword, the other a dagger, wearing thick leather armor chest, bracers, pants, and boots. There was nothing fancy about the armor. Serviceable and functional, cut to not impede movement.
Evaluate had told Loch the Elite Marauder was possibly higher than Harper’s Level, not quite at Loch’s own. He knew better than to be cocky against any opponent, especially one identified as Elite. Those tended to be stronger than their actual Level.
If the Marauder had a way to judge Loch’s Level, it didn’t show it. Or wasn’t afraid of the difference between the two.
With a soundless roar, the Marauder charged Loch, sword held high, dagger to the side. Loch shifted his feet, Activating Offensive Stance. He followed up with Precision Strike, wanting to end this fight quickly. He doubted the Drones would let him and the Marauder just fight it out.
Yellow dots appeared over the Marauder’s body, showing the weak spots. All the typical for a humanoid body. Joints, neck, head, Achilles tendons. As the Marauder charged closer, Loch again shifted his feet and body, adjusting his positioning, sliding Onyx’s shaft in his hands.
The Marauder swung with its long sword, stabbing forward with the dagger. It had known Loch would avoid the sword, the dagger aimed for where Loch would be. The angle of the sword’s downward swing only gave Loch one direction.
He moved in that direction but didn’t stop letting the dagger pass by inches from his side. He kicked up with his left, catching the Marauder in the gut. The monster’s momentum stopped when it met Loch’s leg. Loch let the impact spin him, setting the left down as he swung Onyx. The axe head bit deep into the Marauder’s side. It knocked the gaunt away, Loch stepping forward and following up with a downward swing of the axe. Blade met neck, the Marauder’s head rolling away.
YOU HAVE SLAIN GRAY GAUNT MARAUDER
Time seemed to stop as the gaunts around Loch reacted to the unexpected.
