Ballentine led the guard, the body of beings moving as quickly as possible towards the valley side. In the instant that the guard had informed them of the attack in the valley, chaos had ensued. SJ was currently flying alongside the troops as they pounded through the forest towards the valley. No one spoke; all focused on reaching it as quickly as possible. A brief flash of light erupted from behind as a mage cast a spell, enhancing the troop's movements, the pace increasing slightly.
In the ensuing panic, Ballentine quickly gathered forty of the guard force. Clerics and paladins cast recovery spells on those under the influence to clear their minds and bodies of the alcohol's impurities so that they could perform unaffected. The remainder of the guard force would soon follow under the guidance of Lorna, Ballentine's second-in-command, once the supplies were secured, which would be brought. The town's alchemists and armourers were issuing weapons and armour to the town's volunteer force. This comprised the force that had previously fought against the hobs.
Zigferd had been about to join them when Alice had stopped him. With so many guests in the town for the festival, including village leaders, he had to deal with that before running off to fight. That was why they had a town guard after all. He had argued briefly until Isavil had stepped in.
Jay was at the back of the group on the way, his voice standing out as he criticised anyone lagging behind. His commanding voice pushed the troops forward, along with the support of the mages who accompanied them with their haste spells. Out of the group of forty, they were mainly fighters, a few archers, three clerics, and three mages. It wasn't the perfect mix, given the uncertainty of what they would face when they arrived, but it would have to do. The only information had been that gnolls had come through from the tunnel and had started to bombard the wall. They apparently had large beasts with them that could hurl rocks.
"I'm going to fly ahead," SJ said.
Ballentine glanced and nodded his head, concentrating on his breathing as his heavily armoured form beat the earth into submission under his feet. Sweat from the exertion was present on his brow, and his breathing was heavy.
The forest path wound around the lake, twisting and turning between the trees. SJ directed her flight up and broke out over the forest canopy. The sun was high and bright, and her eyes took a moment to adjust from the forest's shadowed domain. Seeing the smoke visible from the smelter by the mine, SJ took her bearings and flew directly over the trees towards where she knew the path to the valley floor had started. Kibble flew by her side, his enhanced form looking more aggressive than before, crackles of lightning forming around his jaws.
On reaching the valley side, SJ took in the scene below, her improved vision allowing her to see details much clearer than many from the distance she was. The attacking forces were positioned at a distance from the wall. There was a line consisting of what must have been nearly fifty gnolls, with what appeared to be more behind. She couldn't make out any features at this range, but the substantial numbers were discernible. None of them approached the wall itself, keeping their distance. SJ could see archers from the town guard on the walls' parapets, who attempted to fire at the line. Their arrows were falling short, unable to reach their targets.
It wasn't the gnolls that had drawn SJ's attention, but the four giant beetle-like insects that accompanied them. As she approached, she watched as a boulder sailed through the air towards the wall. There was a resounding thud as rock met stone as it struck. It appeared they were aiming for the gate, but were slightly off target. SJ knew the gate hadn't been fortified fully yet and was the weak point of the defences, and if they managed to break through, they would have an almost free run to the town.
The giant beetles had obsidian carapaces, the sun reflecting off their glassy, almost metallic-looking surface. Around each one, several gnolls stood, some holding chains, while groups positioned boulders. They were organised and efficient. There was little delay between attacks as fresh boulders were manhandled into position before the beetles threw them with ease. SJ wondered where all the boulders had come from before seeing the trailing sledges that each of the beetles had strapped to them. They had carried, or, in more accurate words, dragged their ammunition.
"Oooo. I haven't seen sand beetles in a long time," Dave said. "They are exceedingly strong beasts. Never mind their hit points; it's their carapace that makes them extremely difficult to injure. They are harder than plate mail. The only real way to damage them is with blunt items or magic. Neither of which is your speciality."
'Thanks for the reminder,' SJ thought, rolling her eyes at Dave's comment as she watched another beetle lift a large boulder in its giant pincers. It appeared that the gnolls holding the chains were directing and repositioning it before it swung its massive head, releasing it and sending it sailing towards the gate. This boulder struck its target, and SJ heard the creak and groan of wood from the impact. It wouldn't take many direct hits from boulders of that size for the gate to give way. It was only temporary, and it wasn't the metal-reinforced affair that the dwarven engineers were still constructing—the parts of which SJ could see near the entrance.
SJ flew low, landing on the parapet and growing as she did. Kibble landed on the wall next to her. She made her way towards the senior guard, whom she recognised.
"Gary," SJ called, seeing her orc friend. He hadn't been present at the festival, having pulled the short straw for duty.
He turned on, hearing her voice. "SJ. Please tell me we have a force on the way?"
"Ballentine is on his way with a group. Lorna will be following shortly once the remainder are armed."
"Good. We will need as many as possible. I am not even sure how we can do anything against those damn insects they have with them. The archers can't reach them, and we don't have the numbers to challenge them. If we went outside currently, we would be slaughtered."
"There is no need. Just wait, Ballentine won't be too long."
"We can only wait as long as the gate holds. If the gate falls, I can't see them remaining at a distance."
This was the first time SJ had been to the valley in a while, and the defences were impressive. The twenty-five-foot wall spread across the valley floor, encompassing the path and surrounding land near its base. The gate stood twenty feet high, but it was currently constructed of crossed timber, similar to a portcullis rather than a solid gate.
"Why was the tunnel never blocked?" SJ asked Gary, who was spying over the top of the wall, watching the beetles.
"It was. The trolls had blocked it, but with those beetles, I bet they easily pushed through."
SJ looked down the wall where the archers were now crouched behind the parapet. There was no point in them standing in view.
"Incoming," a guard bellowed. Gary grabbed SJ and roughly dragged her sideways. The boulder crashed into the wall near where they had been standing and clipped the stone, showering them both with stone fragments.
"Thanks," SJ said.
Gary just grinned as he peeked back over the wall, towards the insectile behemoths.
"At least they are only throwing boulders, and not very accurately either," Gary said.
"How many are here?" SJ asked.
"There are only fifteen of us. Everyone else had returned for the festival. The hunters had all returned as well."
"We need to ensure that the gate isn't broken before the others arrive," SJ said.
"And how will we do that? We have nothing with which to reinforce it. If the trolls were here, we may be able to use some of the trunks from the new gate, but without their strength, we are pretty limited."
SJ could see that a couple of accurate blows could easily break the temporary gate, and once it was down, she doubted the gnolls would stay at a distance. SJ peered over the wall and triggered her advanced identification skill on a beetle.
Sand Beetle
Level: 36
Hit points: 945 of 945
Mana points: 0
Armour Class: 180
Attacks: Slice, Crush
Special: Nil
Weaknesses: Nil
"It's level 36," SJ said.
"Doesn't surprise me," Gary said. "I bet the gnolls are all high level as well compared to us."
SJ grimaced as she began to identify the gnolls. Their levels ranged from nineteen to thirty-four. Only Jay was even close to their highest level. Every other member of the town guard fell within the territory remit prior to the change, with level 20 being their maximum. It was only a rare few who were higher due to their previous lives before settling in Killic. That meant that only those dedicated to levelling may have increased above the previous maximum of twenty, unless they had travelled outside and levelled before, and she doubted many had. The fact that the battle she had identified was level 36 raised questions in her mind.
'Dave. What's the new level cap?' SJ thought.
"Erm... fifty."
'What? I thought it would have been a maximum of ten levels.'
"No, we already knew there was a twenty-level difference. It appears that the system has adapted the growth aspects of the surrounding territories, though; the desert regions' previous bounds had been 20-30, and they have since been adjusted to 20-40. The difference is significant with the expansion of the borders, but I suppose it makes sense that there may be a ripple effect as our borders open; others may also be adapting. I am still trying to get the details, but I need to break more code to confirm precisely what is happening. If you remember the wyvern that visited the town previously."
'What do you mean?'
"The wyvern was level 31. When you reached level 10, the border allowance for gaining experience changed from 10 to 20, which increased the levels of beasts and beings up to level 40, who were allowed to enter. However, when I look at the new boundary limits, it appears that those up to level 50 may now cross borders and interact. They will not gain experience or levels outside the territory limits cap of 30, but they can still cause trouble."
If the system has adjusted the levelling limits of the surrounding territories to allow for experience gains, she wondered how far the impact of the changes had reached. She knew that other Legionnaires across the continent had allowed for territory increases, but there was still so much unknown with what was occurring. SJ felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of a level 50 beast entering the territory. The wyvern had been chased off previously, but that had only been level 31. Now that she considered that there could be a level 50 beast or monster that could enter, it wasn't something she wished to dwell on. The fact that beings or beasts that were twenty levels higher than the territory experience cap made her chest tighten with a sense of panic.
'I wish I had never levelled now!' she thought in reply. 'How can the system allow such strong beings or beasts to enter an area? It still doesn't make sense.'
"I wish I could answer that question. I can only assume that it is to allow for increased experience gains from defeating higher levels. I really can't guarantee that is the case, though, sorry, SJ, but until I crack the code, I won't know what is really being planned. It is still new to us all."
'Can you prioritise that over any other code you work on? If we can find out what the actual goal of the system is with the level increases, it could put us in a better position.'
"I can, but I can't give you a timescale of when I may discover it. It would mean moving away from the synchronisation and focusing on the system's architecture. That may also bring other concerns along with it."
'What concerns?'
Dave answered nervously, almost hesitantly: "Everything I have managed to unlock so far has been directly related to my protocols and our interaction. The information has grown accordingly associated with the increase in synchronicity. In truth, not once have I actually tried to break the system's archiving codes directly," he finished with a nervous chuckle.
'You have been bragging about breaking through code for so long,' SJ replied with incredulity.
Dave's nervous chuckle continued before he spoke. "Erm, yes. I suppose I have, I never said that it was the system's 'archive', though."
SJ growled in her mind. 'And you didn't ever say that it wasn't. You made me believe that you were breaking the code down as you needed.'
"I'm sorry," Dave replied forlornly. "I never lied, though. I have been unlocking the code locks, just not directly those that the system controls."
Frustration flooded SJ. 'Just do what you can,' she snapped.
She could feel the shame in Dave's voice as he replied, "Okay."
SJ moved to the gap in the parapet and peeked around. The line of beetles hadn't advanced any closer, maintaining their distance from the walls. What appeared behind them made SJ break out in a cold sweat.
The beasts looked as if they had crawled from the pits of hell. The dark red of their glossy chitinous exoskeletons and segmented bodies gave them flexibility, while their spiked tails appeared to drip venom. They were being corralled, and SJ could see a faint circle of pale light surrounding them. They weren't leashed, and from the way they were being controlled, SJ doubted that they would have much control over them once released. Angry snapping of pincers could be heard floating over the valley floor. It was surprising to SJ that the gnolls themselves were so quiet. She had heard no orders being shouted, no cries of war, nothing apart from the methodical and controlled delivery of boulders. SJ watched as a beetle released another boulder. It sailed high through the air, way off its intended target of the gate, and came clattering down over the wall. The boulder struck the roof of a newly constructed building. SJ had no idea what it was being used for, but the now large hole that had been wrought through its thatched roof left it requiring much-needed repairs.
"We have to reach the gnolls leading the beetles. That is the only way to stop them. If we can take out the ones controlling them, we may earn some respite from the onslaught," SJ said.
"And how are we going to do that?" Gary asked.
"You're not, I am," SJ said as she shrank.
"Don't be so suicidal," Gary baulked.
"I'm not being. I can get closer in miniature form and should be able to hit and run. There is no other way we can get within range of them."
Kibble squeaked next to her, growling as though he understood.
"No Kibble. You stay here with Gary."
Kibble looked at her, blinking, and she was sure he frowned.
"I mean it, Kibble. You are staying here. If you follow me over the wall, you won't get fed for a month."
A less enthusiastic squeak left his lips as his head drooped.
"Gary. Can you keep an eye on him?"
SJ wasn't going to take any chances with him following her, so she called the lead to her hand and attached it to his collar. Kibble squeaked again in annoyance as SJ handed the lead to Gary.
"Be careful," Gary said.
"I won't worry, don't worry," SJ said, lifting off the parapet and sailing high into the air.
In her miniature form, she was no more than a speck of dust in comparison to the monstrous insects hurling boulders, but she didn't care. That wasn't what she was aiming for. If she were able to take out some of the gnolls, maybe the beetles would no longer fight. She didn't know enough about them to confirm, but she doubted they would work without direction, looking at the gnolls surrounding them.
The sun was behind her as she took off and moved forward towards the gnolls' lines. SJ hadn't truly realised the distance from the walls, and it was only as she grew nearer, her height and the sun coming from behind hiding her, that she really took in their monstrous forms. These weren't beetles but walking tanks. Their legs appeared too thin to support the massive forms of their bodies, the sun reflecting off their obsidian shells. The second line of gnolls was another hundred feet or more back from the frontline of beetles, and she doubted many would notice her miniature form.
Flying over the area as she was brought stark reminders of the battle between Bordon and Jabrey, the orc chieftain. Her own tactics had been hit-and-run. Flying, assaulting, and fleeing again in most instances before those around could react. She would need to do the same today. Currently, only if a being looked directly up would they have seen her hovering above. She equipped her claws, their weight bringing her comfort as the long black blades swept from the gloves that now enveloped her hands. The sense of familiarity brought her reassurance.
There was one issue. The levels of these gnolls were not low. She would have to pick her targets carefully. She knew that gnolls had a basic anatomy, as discussed with Carlito. Therefore, strikes to the brain or heart would be the most effective. The gnolls all appeared to be wearing light armour. None of them wore any chain or plate, only leather covering their bodies. Unlike the row of gnolls some distance behind, who were definitely wearing a form of armour of various types. As SJ glanced, she thought they had been shaped from the chitinous remains of the scorpions they had penned in within their magical bonds.
SJ started to identify individual targets. None of the gnolls near the beetles looked up at her, triggering her advanced identification skill. A level twenty male gnoll stood near the rear of one of the monstrous insects, by the broad stretcher that the boulders were stored on. As the boulder party moved towards the stretcher to begin the process of moving the next boulder to the beetles' front, it remained to release tethers that had been placed over the boulders, which had obviously been used during transportation. This was her opportunity, and it was the best she could see currently. SJ took a slow breath, exhaling before she tucked in her wings and dived towards him.
