Five hundred feet away, the enemy Stone Mages, not aware of what blocked their ground attacks, tried a different strike. The area twenty feet in front of Ruwen erupted, and thirty granite spikes shot toward him.
Ruwen channeled ten Energy into Jumbo, increasing his size by ten percent and Strength by five percent. Jumbo’s single spell level increased his height over seven inches and his Strength by four. The air filled with dust as the rock spikes disintegrated against his body. If he maxed this spell, he could grow to nine feet.
Colyn stepped up next to Ruwen, the crowd control having finally disappeared. Ruwen stopped channeling Jumbo and returned to normal. With Stone Echo Ruwen could see his team behind him, and he moved forward quickly.
Ruwen remained out of throwing range, so arrows, bolts, and rock spikes were the only objects hitting him. Tremine’s shield kept them safe from the variety of magic raining down, and every fifteen feet Ruwen sent a pulse of level five Harden into the ground, protecting them from ground attacks.
At four hundred feet from the enemy, Ruwen paused and Analyzed the air, but the concentration of poison gas hadn’t increased much. At three hundred feet, it had reached a deadly concentration. The team huddled behind him and Colyn, as Ruwen used Analyze to determine how large a safe area his Void Band created.
His Void Band along with Gust affected an area less than two hundred feet in diameter. It wasn’t great news as the army’s spacing wouldn’t be ideal, but it would only remain like that until they’d removed enough of the asphyxiant.
Ruwen spoke to all his groups in Chat. Dense spacing. Thirty by three.
The other teams closest to Ruwen were visible on his map and within ten seconds each team had rearranged into three rows of thirty. From their planning he knew the front row and sides contained Fighters, the middle row held the Mages and Priests, and the last row the Observers. The Worker with the Void Band remained in the middle.
The enemy hadn’t attacked during Ruwen’s slow advance, which he’d expected. The Naktos army wanted to draw them deeper into the ambush, not engage them at the border of their trap. Everything had happened just like he’d expected, which made him a little anxious. Things never went this well.
With their plan validated, only the final phase remained.
Elder Vachyl spoke to Ruwen in Chat. Warlord Starfield, your judgment?
Ruwen still channeled one Energy into Fresh Air, twenty into Scrub, twenty-five to the Void Band, ten for Gust, and Bodyguard consumed ten. But Quartermaster’s Yell halved the cost to thirty-three Energy every second. That left one hundred and four Energy per second of his Regen unused, and he channeled seventy-five of it into pulling air through his Void Band.
The additional Energy funneled to his Band turned the area around him into a tempest. His cloak snapped in the wind and he moved forward.
Ruwen responded to his groups, and Elder Vachyl. Proceed. Phase five is a go.
Shouts rose behind Ruwen as the army received the order to attack.
The Overlord ran at the enemy army.
Chapter 70
The Naktos Fighters along the front line all wore plate. Ruwen wondered if they knew about the trap or if they thought their leaders were insane. His Perception showed him Class levels ranging from twenty to forty, but by far most of them were on the lower end. Even if this was a trap, it seemed strange that the levels skewed so low. The army he led averaged closer to level forty. A small knot of worry formed in his stomach.
Vials flew at Ruwen and he turned on Insect Repellant, adjusting the radius to twenty-five feet. Between Insect Repellant slowing the bottles and Gust making the air around them erratic, none of the vials struck him.
In addition to the arrows and bolts flying at Ruwen, small knives and daggers appeared as well. He forced himself not to dodge them, knowing they’d likely strike someone behind him. Instead, he either knocked them away or let them bounce off his armor.
The Naktos army moved slowly backward, drawing Ruwen and his army deeper into the trap. He finally reached their front line and blocked a long sword with his forearm. A Fighter behind the swordsman lunged forward with a spear. Not bothering to move, the barbed tip struck him in the neck. He leaned forward with a surge, forcing the spear back, and knocking the warrior away.
Now that Ruwen had made it into melee range, he channeled Fallen Heroes and three clones appeared, all with a staff. While Colyn protected the group behind Ruwen, he and his clones moved into the line of Fighters.
Two thousand feet to revival baths, Elder Vachyl said in Chat. All groups in hazard zone. Three percent casualties.
Moving to primary objective, Ruwen responded.
Ruwen could see the distant tents containing the revival baths. Once those were destroyed, the battle, and war, was over.
A blinding light strobed in front of Ruwen, blinding him. Using his Gold Fortified senses and the information from Stone Echo, he never even paused. Knocking swords and spears away, he waded further into the enemy.
Lir spoke to Ruwen. I detect seismic activity under New Eiru.
What?
I detect seismic activity under New Eiru.
Ruwen’s vision returned as a shard of ice the size of his arm struck him in the face. It shattered with a loud boom. The fragments caused his armor to smoke as the splinters caused acid damage.
How far underground?
There are multiple sources of immense vibration, making it impossible to determine with any accuracy.
Ruwen trapped a sword under his arm and slammed a fist into the solar plexus of the attacker, deeply denting the plate armor and leaving a translucent leech hanging from the breastplate. Are you saying the vibrations are separate from the seismic activity?
Yes.
Like the vibrations might mask something?
It is possible.
Send the Temple Guardians to investigate the seismic activity.
Yes, Architect Starfield.
The knot of worry in Ruwen’s stomach traveled
