As weak as the gluttonous lady appeared, it wasn't the first time she had to fight hunger. She just sipped on a bit of purified blood and let her muscles recover from the strain. They started moving off but they were walking as if there was no rush. The first assault squad was the strongest in their camp but the main group had Commander Wil.
"Their joint attack started a few minutes ago."
Ebony quietly listened to the elders discuss. It wasn't his place to interrupt when he still didn't understand the situation. The militia wasn't as suicidal as he imagined. They were receiving more and more reinforcements that weren't part of the Imperial Army. Many other 'militia' camps were situated not far from each other. They comprise academies, teachers and even students.
"Wil's men should be arriving in three weeks, we should see a change in our plans."
Ebony turned to the swordmaster that he planted to the ground during his initial test. "Who is Commander Wil?"
The old man would be pretty famous if he took command of a random group of people, and he could see they all respected the scrawny old man.
"You don't know and you joined us?" The relatively young man didn't hold any grudges. Perhaps because Ebony saved him from a tight spot in the earlier battle.
"Mmm."
"He's the founder of Bludgeon Academy, surely you've heard of the school, no?"
"Mmm, I heard of it. So his men are his teachers?" Ebony remembered fighting someone who proclaimed that he graduated from that academy when he joined the tournament for a new metal. That man didn't impress him very much so he didn't really have a strong impression of him.
"He handed the headmaster position to his son but most of the current teachers used to be his students. A lot of them are war veterans. I heard they were preparing older students who want to volunteer under an express training course. They should be the ones Cap's talking about."
"How about you? What academy are you from?" Ebony made small talk, he recalled that swordsmen were all taught a full set of skills.
"Haha…I could never afford that. My grandfather used to be part of the Imperial Army, he managed to evolve their two-handed sword mastery to tier 3. He was too old and only a Master Warrior but he passed it down to my father along with all sorts of useful skills he refined before he passed away. My father's now a knight so he tossed the style to me as it didn't mesh with the way knights fought."
"You didn't join the army?"
"Nah, too stiff and rigged for me. I want to improve my grandfather's skills but I haven't even got to the same level of refinement that he did."
"I see. You're the same level as he was though, I'm sure you can push it further."
It was a 'privilege' but the swordsman was taught many skills from a young age, he got better fortifications and better equipment since he wasn't that poor and could easily take on stronger monsters. He levelled much faster with those advantages.
"What about you? You must be even younger than I am, how did you get so strong?"
"Hmm…I was trained hard by my parents I guess. I picked up magic by myself though." Ebony replied. The mental exercises his father taught him had clearly been effective when he learnt any type of magic or just his basic control over his own mana to be as strong as it is.
The swordsman chuckled and someone beside them spit on the ground when he heard Ebony.
"Is that spell a wide area of effect spell or does it really strengthen your spells, a domain?"
"Domain."
"Impossible!"
"Bullshit!"
Many people heard him but few believed him. Not that he could tell what their reactions meant. Some of them traded introductions with him.
The swordsman he was talking to was Banly. Channah the lizard woman. Ayla, the woman who fought Ning Xin but he didn't really see during the battle together with Hayec, the huge guy with a huge shield. It was as if they weren't at the battle but they were walking together at the moment.
Mr kidnapper was unnamed. He was known as 'Unnamed' but the youngins only knew that because it was what Commander Wil and Cap Dwarf called the man. He was considered Cap Dwarf's peer but younger.
Athena Stake, the archer who he guessed wrong as she wasn't an archer despite the 2 large arrows she wielded, was apparently someone young and famous. She self-proclaimed herself to be the founder of the Stake noble house but she was no noble as she flaunted her pride as an orphan.
That was the most impressive resume to Ebony, a strong young Grandmaster who can fight Trolls over a hundred levels over her albeit with some help. He could only assume that most of her skills were self-taught. With or without any help, that was mighty impressive. People here viewed their skills highly and didn't teach others good skills easily. Not to mention, the general standards weren't so high that if she managed to find someone to teach her tier 2 skills it would be good enough for the fight against Trolls. She must be talented at what she does.
Currently, Commander Wil was heading the assault on the forward camp with 2 middle and 4 small-sized academies that didn't get scouted for tougher battles. Two small academies were magic schools, fire and earth. The other 2 were specialised scouts and archers. Banly didn't even remember their academy names when he told Ebony about them.
Each of them sent the entire school here excluding Journeymen, so there were hundreds of level 150 and above that were risking their lives for the experience. They must have volunteered thinking they would be able to benefit as ranged fighters or scouts. It certainly had some truth. The militia needed as much firepower as they could get and they knew that a war of this scale would last long from their experience. The young would easily gain levels and skill levels to further reduce their burden. A big IF they survive.
The slightly larger schools were both warrior academies. The Arcane Warrior Academy had some amazing graduates, a few of which had high posts in the Imperial Army despite not being from one of Tidal Academy's branches. They were famed for very efficient mana enhancement that had decent all round physical improvement and elemental resistance. Sadly, only those of a high level were any good. They didn't have a good hybrid stat build enforced and not everyone from the academy was able to balance out their individual Intelligence stat together with their Fortification and whatever personal skills they had.
Even so, most sent here had decent endurance and survivability. Unlike the smaller academies, they only sent those they deemed ready and were above level 230. Their numbers were huge though, over seven thousand of them. They made good vanguards for the militia.
Banly wasn't familiar with the other warrior school. Channah chipped in, it was more of a mace mastery school rather than a warrior academy. They only taught some mace style, the founder had the style at tier 3 but getting it to a highly refined state was enough to graduate. They also had a movement skill and mana enhancement specifically increasing the lethality of their fighting style. Hard hitters but not sustainable.
Ebony could already feel the ongoing battle through the floor. Up in the air were 50 bows that were firing arrows that exploded into cold shockwaves. They were firing pretty slowly probably due to the limit in their stock of arrows floating not far from them. He knew the 5 that stayed behind to watch over their battle charged for this battlefield the moment they were done with the small camp.
The truth was that there was no real battle yet. The militia was raining spells from one direction and arrows from another. The 50 special bows that shot themselves were shooting much further away than the low-level archers.
'What a waste of arrows.' Ebony thought. The spells were shot from kilometres away, they didn't really have to care about accuracy but those spells obviously lost a bunch of power before they landed. As for the arrows, even if the Troll stood a metre away, he didn't think they would care about those weak shots. It might cut skin or even draw blood but if they were to use their vitality-based enhancement Ebony could imagine those arrows literally bouncing off their skin.
The Troll's forward base had proper earthen walls and structures, unlike the Benumbed Tribes' camp. The Grandmaster Shaman in charge was known as the Midnight Shepherd. All of them were level 500 for the past wars and given a title to go by. The warrior in charge was not of the Vigiot Tribe but another one of the Benumbed Tribe. Likely an elder of the small camp's leader but a King Classed of an undisclosed level.
'Maybe not a waste after all.' There was no retaliation, the Trolls simply took the barrage on. The arrows were choked full of mana and managed to pierce into flesh. There were raised footings for the ranged bombardment, courtesy of the earth mages.
"Why aren't they retaliating?" Ning Xin asked the question they both had.
"If they come out, they die." Someone from the first support squad answered.
They didn't give much of an explanation as the bombardment was dying out. They rejoined Commander Wil from the rear. To their front was the uniformed militia. Not exactly wearing the same armour but they all had similar logos painted somewhere on their armour.
Behind them were the lower levelled archers and mages. By their side were his militia's remaining members and further left and right were battle-ready mages and half-plated warriors. The [Master Arcane Warrior]s and a dozen or so Grandmasters in their group.
'Wait a minute. What was the plan again?'
❅❅❅
Ning Xin sensed the sudden internal confusion the man supporting her weight had and immediately understood that he forgot what they were supposed to do.
"Is there anyone with skills that can hide someone else in the air?" The confused man asked to her surprise. She was about to ask what the plan was again because she had a feeling he wouldn't speak up.
"If we aren't moving fast, I might be able to hide a person or two unless the shaman or the King Class augments their eyes. I can't fly though." Ayla, the dual wielder that was both a shadow and darkness magic user, spoke up.
He told the surrounding people about his idea. Ning Xin knew that it was another one of his idea that he didn't really put much thought into. Sometimes, she wished that he thought things through properly but she did like how he usually was.
Reckless and dangerous sums up what he wanted to do. She already knew how tough it was to fight a group of evenly levelled Trolls. If the Dwarf that beat Ebony didn't help to take care of the others to isolate the leader, she might not have been able to kill any of the squad members at all. She didn't fear them individually but they were too good at watching each other's back and keeping each other alive.
The size of their opponent was a huge detriment to Ebony's current domain. He would be drained dry in an instant due to their size, numbers and strength.
He wanted to join in on the efforts of magical spell flinging. His plan was for someone to hide him till they got right below the corrosive clouds and then to leave him alone once his stealth skill kicked into effect. The timing was bad since they were planning to attack already. The small fire magic academy had hundreds that could cast a layer of mana that would repel fire mana to a decent extent on everyone but few would be capable of fighting if they were to be inflicted with extreme cold.
His idea was rejected since he would be found out the moment his petals started falling. The risk was too high to let him move alone but the reason they hid his magic was to use it exactly how he proposed. Spreading chill to as many enemies as possible.
The base was huge and the old man in charge loved the plan. He wanted to go with Ebony but his mark was too strong, the Midnight Shepherd would notice. Anyone strong enough to move alone was already marked. She didn't like the feeling of being marked but it was flattering.
Ebony didn't kill many in the earlier battle so he didn't know but she guessed that the mark appeared around the time she killed five or so hundred. If it was something like a curse based on kill count, the mark on her should be relatively weak. At least, she didn't think her location could be pinpointed at all times. Hopefully, it wasn't anything close to curse magic or she wouldn't want to kill the caster even if she had the chance to.
Due to the massive base and the old men around them who understood how useful he would be, the plan was changed to sending him further to their rear for him to run wild. The militia wouldn't reach there for a long time or at all. Ayla wouldn't be letting him be alone either. He would expend as much as he felt comfortable before signalling them with his sound magic and retreating at full speed. The commander would hop past most of the base and deal as much damage as he could before the higher powers could react. He estimated he might only be able to attack once before he was repelled.
Hit and run, the attack shouldn't last more than 15 minutes.
She also knew that the militia was positioned pretty well. If the Trolls moved out and gave chase, they would reach the range of the Imperial's temporary defence towers. There was no retaliation as the Midnight Shepherd couldn't or perhaps, didn't, conjure any projectiles for their soldiers to toss. From the craters around, it was obvious that they originally fought back but ran out of heavy items to toss.
Like Ebony, she didn't understand war tactics. This all felt a little weird and stupid to her. The Imperials had an overwhelming advantage in terms of ranged potential and lethality. She could only reason that it was due to the Shaman and stronger units that caused this not to work. The Trolls would definitely retaliate if their bombardment was causing enough harm.
As worried as she was, she didn't deny or persuade him from doing so. He let her have her fun earlier, it was only fair she did the same for him. His worry for her during the previous battle had almost been disruptive. He was also quick on his feet and much too tough to die easily.
All of them were ever ready and didn't hesitate to put their lives on the line.
Cap Dwarf led the attack with his earthen snake head ramming into the wall and tearing a portion down with ease. Similar strength skills were used by other older men and women from other squads further away from them. The stronger veterans had to lead the charge as the Trolls were already waiting for them on the other side.
She no longer glanced at the figure that disappeared and dived into battle herself.
Despite all the talk about not over-exerting herself to conserve energy, she released all the energy she gathered through her Core Skill. They weren't planning a committed assault so she didn't see a reason not to go all out.
Her speed caught the Trolls unaware and she decapitated two of them blocking the gap with their bodies. The kill for them always required a few minutes due to their absurd Vitality. At least she didn't have to worry about them reconnecting their heads since she charred the entire neck. Even the Grandmasters shouldn't have strong enough regeneration to regenerate or reconnect their heads before they died.
Sadly, this was a guarded base and not an undefended camp. A Troll wielding two sets of curved blades that went along their arm and shoulder managed to step in and stop her. Sort of like a tonfa that she had seen in Xienor but longer and bladed. It was made of a dull white material, bone.
She immediately recognised that Troll went into a stance like that of a martial artist. Otherwise, with the awkward weapons, their front was completely unguarded.
Most of her ally warriors and close-ranged fighters were half the height of the Master Trolls and might not even reach the knees of a Grandmaster. Their attacks usually hit the torso or just the legs. This member of the Vigiot bent his knees and had a very wide stance. The low-hanging arms and bone blade covered them entirely.
Ning Xin didn't have much mana after the previous battle and short rest. She fired off dozens of Precise Perforation but the [Expert Martial Dancer Lvl 300] backstepped and shifted his hips and shoulders, blocking her strikes with the large body of the bone blade.
She didn't have to watch the others to find out that jumping to reach for these giants' vitals would only get them snagged out of the air. Even if members of the Vigiot tribe didn't have free hands to do so, there were others fighting beside her.
"Fleshy warrioress! I haven't tasted one in a long time!" This particular Troll had the ugliest saliva-filled expression she had seen.
The swordswoman clenched her teeth and tested out the disgusting one's skill. Blood was rushing to her head as she was incensed by the hoots from the surrounding Trolls that asked for a bite of her. Although she was used to the fact that she could control her thoughts and actions better with Incensed Meditation she actually didn't like the feeling. As if something was restraining her, not allowing her to release pent-up emotions.
"Women folk of your kind rarely meet us in direct combat, I can see why. Gyaahahaha!!" Her nasty-looking opponent continued to defend against her thrusts. He succeeded in making his allies laugh but not enough to distract them from their own battles. Her cocky opponent fueled her rage. This was the first talkative Troll she fought.
She leaned back to evade the rock sword from another guard that talked about fatty meats being delicious. The mysterious link between her and her Blood Halo dragged her up as Scorchie in her right hand pierced right under the attacker's jaw straight through his brain. Her longsword heated itself up and melted whatever matter inside their thick skulls.
Rampaging Mortal's Pulse at about a tenth of its limit flowed in her body. The duration of her enhanced state was about 3 to 4 minutes every pulse of this degree. During this time, she continued to gather life force in her heart for another pulse once the previous effect runs out. To gather 10% of the limit she can currently gather only took about 7 seconds but to push for the limit would take close to 10 minutes.
This meant that she wouldn't be at full power from the start if she was attacked while in a state of rest. The intermittent power-up also lowered the strain on her body so it wasn't a massive issue. As her Core Skill levelled and her heart got stronger, the amount of energy it can withstand increased so her charge-up time has actually been increasing instead of dropping. Her rate of familiarisation and efficiency with gathering life force couldn't keep up with the speed of her levelling.
Ning Xin's other arm turned into a red flash in response to her enhancement. At long last, the disgusting grin was wiped off Vigiot Troll's face. She pulled Scorchie out from the front of the skull, slicing it into halves before decapitating the attacker in one smooth motion. Melting their brains stopped their movements so there wasn't any counter.
She quickly shifted her gaze onto Scorchie, relieved that her hasty move didn't scratch the longsword.
"You dare look aw-, she's mine!" Her opponent yelled, spitting everywhere. Another bone blade wielder came swinging his fist at her.
Nobody bothered with the scream as it got chaotic but even as she got pulled into the messy combat she didn't forget the cocky Troll. She only refreshed her buff from her Core Skill up to 15% of her limit every few minutes but it hadn't even been 20 minutes before they were ordered to retreat.
A strong tremor in the ground made many of the retreating members stumble and lose their balance. The vast size of the inhabitants made the base as big as a small town, and despite having no clear view of the destruction that had taken place, she inferred that the plan had been successful. She tried to look for the figure in the air but couldn't afford to stay distracted.
Ning Xin was a little disappointed with the overall strength of Trolls. She was capable of defeating enemies at her level without using her Core Skill or magic in less than 30 seconds. However, with time constraints, she decided not to waste precious seconds on a single enemy. The average level of the guards was similar to hers, but she expected there to be several level 300 Masters and higher hence the enhancement.
She was too tired to attempt to fend off the Grandmaster guards and left that to the militia's veterans. Their way back was hindered but the resistance was far weaker compared to their advancement into the base. Ning Xin noticed that the bow made by the Frost Elven elder was trailing her, but it did not attack or support her in any way. This was the only one willing to follow her, she wondered if it would understand if she tried to communicate with it. The bows were far more intelligent than her budding twin sword spirits that have difficulty understanding and responding to her.
The Trolls didn't have an effective communication chain and were unable to block off the militia's hasty retreat.
"Catch me."
She put her hands out reflexively before she noticed the man falling out of the sky in front of her. Just as quickly, her hands pulled back and the man landed with a bang. The surrounding people couldn't help but wince when they heard bones crack. Ning Xin was the only one near and fast enough to have caught him but her enhancement was gone after they reached about a gor away from the base. She would snap her arms if she caught Ebony carrying his heavy sword.
"Ow."