Drakys vanished after healing Lev and extracting a brief report, during which Lev had little to report. They had faced a lot of monsters in pairs and then collided with a Nure.
The way back was quiet, one filled with the noise of their recent defeat. Melvine was relatively fine, but everyone else, including Lev, had a lot to think about.
So many noticeable things in that one single battle, Lev mused, slowly getting over the loss. I countered its long-range petrification almost completely with my armor, though that advantage wouldn’t matter if it managed to grab me. When projectiles were concerned, mine were definitely deadlier if I concentrated the power in a few lances, except the monster had me completely overwhelmed when numbers were concerned. How ridiculous is that? Me and my many thousands of Wisdom points worth of mana somehow couldn’t keep up.
That was a gross oversimplification of events, and yet, it wasn’t that far off from the truth. Given all of his titles, class, and other advantages, he should’ve been able to match any third-threshold monsters below level 600.
Then the Nure battle happened, and all of those delusions were shattered. It hammered home just how ridiculous third-threshold monsters could become, and the one they faced was on the lowest end of the threshold.
And logic dictates that if a Nure was that strong, there are also bound to be other monsters just as powerful, if not even stronger.
He had a lot to think about, primarily how his ability to hit above his weight wasn’t as solid as it seemed. A single encounter had proven it, and he also remembered the fight against the flame tiger. That one had come close to roasting him alive.
“Look lively,” Lev said out loud. It was just as much to banish his thoughts as it was to garner everyone’s attention. “I see our destination, though it has changed a great deal.”
“Changed how?” Isabella asked, shifting in her seat to focus on the present. Given that it was almost sunrise, she couldn't see too far.
“Big walls, a large palace in the middle, half a dozen patrol squads, a constant barrage of arrows and spells, and more. Pretty much getting the city treatment.”
“Huh, that didn’t take long.”
“Just don’t let them attack us,” Aryan reminded. “I doubt the bubble will be penetrated, but you never know.”
Lev acted on that, filling up a few arrows with lightning and firing them. A few hundred meters away from the fortress, each exploded like fireworks on steroids, warning the defenders of their approach.
I’ve been overlooking the increasing range of my projectiles, he noted in the back of his mind.
By now, if he properly took time to aim and overloaded all enchantments, his arrows could cover a lot of kilometers. Consequently, he hadn’t really expected them to reach the base, though they had.
No one attacked the bubble, and with Lev releasing a bit of his presence, he found himself looking at an approaching woman after landing in a corner inside the walls. She didn’t look like a combatant, confirmed by the results of Identify.
[Worker - Level 199]
A decently high level for a non-combatant. She must’ve been pretty competent.
“Hunter Lev?” she asked immediately upon reaching the bubble. Everyone inside had already come out, awaiting further instructions. “Sir Wayne has asked me to inform you of your current task. It is urgent. Do you need to do anything before getting to it?”
“No, go ahead.”
“Very well. The Grand Strategist wants you to relieve the pressure on the combatants for a few hours. With the returning Masters, they can now properly plan for scouting and expansion, as well as many other matters. There is also much I need to inform you about.”
“Then how about I get started right away?” Lev cut in, waving a hand towards the bubble. For a brief moment, the woman hesitated, and it wasn’t hard to guess why. Getting into a construct with a Master was a daunting prospect, especially since he was an unknown.
Still, duty took over, and she stepped in after exchanging a few words with Melvine. Lev made the bubble ascend, and since dawn was just around the corner, he had to rely on his exceptional sight to notice the scattered monsters assaulting the fort.
“Right,” Lev began, firing a few lightning arrows. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing of the sort,” the woman shook her head lightly, visibly gathering her thoughts. “Lady Sherron wanted me to inform you about monster migrations.”
“Migrations?” he echoed. “As in, a large number moving from one place to another?”
“Correct. We only need to worry about avian monsters on dangerous scales, though all manner of monsters have been seen migrating in the Grand Forest. Thrice, diviners have located massive groups of what were suspected to be harpies crossing the ocean. Ignoring the swarms of other monsters attracted by easy meals, Lady Sherron wanted you to be ready to escape underground at a moment’s notice. She didn’t specify the reasons, stating that you would understand.”
“Why, though? Is a migration passing over the continent?”
“If our estimates are correct, then a massive flock of some flying monster will pass over the northern edges of the plains. Fortunately, they won’t be anywhere near the center, let alone this fortress.”
So she doesn’t want to take any chances, Lev completed in his head. It made sense. He still remembered a storm vulture almost killing Beatrice and definitely didn’t want a repeat of the situation.
“I see,” he nodded. “Anything else?”
“We’ve also attracted the attention of Earthen Destroyers. There are a few roaming groups that our presence has enticed, and while they have been dealt with easily, more are bound to show up soon.”
“They’re easily enough to deal with as long as I’m informed in advance,” Lev said, nodding for her to continue.
“The biggest present concern is… not something I’m cleared to know about. It is well above my pay grade, and even Lady Sherron seemed hesitant to reveal any clues related to it.”
… That is not at all ominous.
“What did she say?”
The worker gulped. “She wanted me not to breathe a word of this to anyone else. To quote her words, “he should remember the location we visited with Drakys. Even further to the west, there’s a grove with an impressive density of ambient mana. Stay away from that place.” That’s all.”
Well, that wasn’t as bad as I expected, though it can potentially be much worse, Lev thought to himself, keeping his expression neutral. A sapient creature can be a double-edged sword. So far, I’ve only had lucky encounters, discounting Kaius’s arrogance. That won’t always be the case.
“Thank you,” he said out loud. He could feel her unease growing as she watched dozens upon dozens of arrows form and shoot off within minutes. “Is that all?”
“There are a few more concerns, especially a large pack of stealthy wolves, but you will be informed more about them through the communication tablet.”
Seeing that she had no more to say, he lowered the bubble and let her return to the fort.
Back above, he took a moment to consider his circumstances. Getting saddled with a job immediately after returning was unexpected, but it seemed that the movement of the forces and planning were put mostly on hold in the absence of all the Masters accompanying him.
Now, a huge wave that would last months was approaching from the mountains, and they needed to prepare for it fast.
When looking at it from that angle, he had no qualms easing the burden on the combatants so they could tackle the upcoming problem while refreshed.
“How’s it looking?” he sent through Isabella’s communication item.
It took a moment for a reply to arrive from Lisa. “Melvine and Isabella are taking the lead, and Elias is also chiming in. Things are stable right now. A storm is coming, though. This time, instead of just hiding in shelters, we need to carve out tunnels to battle in. Only warriors and rogues will be deployed for that, not to destroy the concealments, and only use a minimal amount of mana.”
“How about the incoming wave?”
“The Strategist seems assured about our chances, though he has brought you up several times already. Alec is currently not present, and even the Runic Warlord had to leave somewhere early. Strategist Wayne seems to be in the know and is withholding information.”
“Then they’re probably facing a fourth-threshold monster,” Lev mumbled in reply, firmly clamping down on the panic that threatened to overtake him. Alec knew what he was doing, and Lev doubted that they were fighting without a capable team like Mel’s, or even multiple, supporting them.
“You think so?” Lisa replied, fear slipping into the message.
“Probably. I don’t expect any third-threshold monster that needs both my mentor and an Exalted in the plains.”
“Can you stop needlessly scaring us?” Isabella sent, audibly frustrated that she had to divide her attention because Lev was talking about something very interesting. “Do it when the meeting is done.”
Chuckling, he stopped talking and focused on the distant horizon. The first sun, orange and just as beautiful as always, was slowly rising. Within minutes, everything was bright enough to reveal the extent of what they were dealing with, and it was… dreadfully exciting.
Lev couldn’t actually see it. No, he felt it in his bones. The direction they had just returned from, an overwhelming sensation of death and ruin followed. It was as if a part of the world had declared war on the fortress, and even without laying his eyes upon the approaching wave, he knew that it was beyond anything he had ever seen before.
As if proving his point, a ringing chime echoed throughout the fort. His brain took a moment to recognize the monster bell. He wasn’t even aware that one existed in the fort.
The second chime came and went, and so did the third, fourth, and fifth. Sixth and seventh were also not surprising. Eighth and ninth were the ones he expected to be the last, but then the tenth chime also reached his ears, bringing with it the weight of responsibility.
I swear to Monarch, this is the last time someone will thrust me into a spearhead position with so many people to protect. The next time something like this whole operation happens, I want to be too strong for anyone except my team to be near me-
Eleventh chime.
Lev stilled. The scale wasn’t supposed to go beyond ten rings, and there was no way for the eleventh to be accidental. It had come exactly ten seconds after the last.
Eleven… he breathed out slowly. What does that even mean? Imminent destruction, but there’s no choice but to stand our ground and fight?
Regardless of what it meant, the underlying intention was clear. The monsters numbered in the hundreds of thousands already, and that was considering that only the edges of the mountain region were following him.
Deeper inside, Hakim, and later on, Sherron would be clearing monsters left and right. Even then, millions of abominations would storm the fort.
Lev wasn’t confident in their chances, not with the numbers they had right now. Sure, he could feel over a hundred Masters below him, most of them inside the massive fortress.
Similarly, there were thousands of Adepts scrambling to prepare themselves. No one could sleep through the loud bell that was specifically enchanted to wake people up.
It was an impressive force, one that could kill tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of monsters. But then what? They would tire out, aura mages would bottom out, and monsters would be free to cut them apart.
Melvine would be able to kill hundreds in minutes, as long as no third-threshold monsters were breathing down their necks. Lev himself could clear a large area with a few well-placed blasts, but he had his limits, too.
His friends were, while head and shoulders above the average Master, not as exceptional as he or Melvine. There were a few more strong teams, though those didn’t exactly instill him with confidence either.
They’re hiding something, Lev rubbed his chin. Well, I should be open to surprises then. Don’t want to accidentally mess up whatever they have planned.
Further musings were cut short when a gaze landed on him. He looked towards the fortress entrance, seeing a tiny form standing there and pointedly looking towards his bubble.
That is some exceptional aura control, he noted. I can’t tell if they’re a mage or a warrior, only that they are of the Master rank. An aura mage?
Oddly enough, his brain kept telling him something was amiss. Lev didn’t descend and focused on the person, noting how they were decked out in powered armor. It felt strong despite the distance, and that was when it clicked.
Metallic armor, completely black and gleaming in the light of dawn. He had faced a similar monster once, an Executioner Beetle covered in a metal called B-Hide.
Clearly, Beatrice hadn’t let Lev’s gift sit idly in a storage ring. She had it fashioned into something worthy of a strong Master, and now, decked out in that glorious suit of armor, she was ready to support the frontlines.