Kang! Kang! Kang!
Rhythmic hammering could be heard from the cave as the two player smiths and another NPC who was a smith got busy with the various creations. They knew they had to work fast, as everyone depended on them.
However, no matter how fast they were, there was no way they could get the thing done in time. In fact, some components were supposed to be cured under chemical treatment for at least 20 minutes. The assembly itself would take 10 minutes, and that was if you knew where each part was going.
Looking at the approaching army, and the timer on the player interface, by the time the smiths were done, they would already be overrun.
On the side, Firelord Izzu's Illegitimate Son was scrolling through the forums, and he could see multiple players posting the Regional Announcement, which meant that the threat did not come from just the army of dwarves, but also of the many players online and in the region.
The situation was dire, and the smiths were feeling the pressure. They divided the task of creating the teleportation device components into three, such that each smith had a few components to work on.
Bor was very serious as he performed his task, but he found something that could tip the scales slightly in their favor.
"Look, I have some time before these two processes are done, how about you help me set up the defense of this cave?" Bor suddenly said to Lonely Snow. In his heart, he was bleeding.
While hunting the various elites in the forest, Bor had been collecting forging materials and forging blueprints. Only now, when he read all the blueprints in the cave, did he see the correlation with some of the blueprints he had.
He had a couple of blueprints for creating individual components, but he found the assembly blueprint to bring many components together in the treasure chest. After analyzing the blueprint, he realized that it was a defensive type machine, one that could defend a stronghold, or a small town.
The final component, Stronghold Defensive Tower, as it was called, was able to gather the surrounding mana and channel it to form a magical array, complete with several attacking options.
Luckily, these components did not take time, and Bor was very good at forging, perhaps the best in the group, and that was including the NPC.
Critical seconds passed as everyone strived to finish their task. The shaman was organizing her people as well. The warriors in the group were gathered and analyzing the movements of the army. The civilians were gathered in the deepest part of the cave, waiting for the smiths to finish.
For the players, other than the two smiths, all anyone else could do was wait. Therefore, when Bor spoke, almost everyone wanted to help.
The Defensive Tower had to be done first, so even Ayram assisted in creating some components. Thinking about it, if this mission had just the one smith, then they would have prioritized the Tower. Once it was up, they could move on to creating the Teleportation device.
[00:04:32]
By now, they could hear the sound of the army. The quacking of the ground caused by such a large movement of individuals was even felt inside the cave.
"Done!" Ayram said as he finished a component. I am Fortress was ready, grabbing the component by one hand and dashing out to where Bor was. Yes, the shield had to be assembled outside the cave.
Firelord Izzu's Illegitimate Son was busy blocking arrows and other attacks coming down on them.
Like any army, they don't always move as one. Usually, there is an advanced team that would go before the army, the scouts, the shock troops, you name them. They had somehow discovered what Bor and company were attempting to do, and they were trying to stop them.
As such, there were periodic ranged attacks coming from the closest group, and that was why the tanks were important. They were responsible for transportation and protection of the smith as he set up the all-important tower.
Swish! Swish!
Another volley was landing, interrupting Bor who had to take cover.
[Danger: You are within range of the Opponent's war weapons]
"Duh!" this was Bor's thought, but he quickly realized that this warning meant much more. The attacks so far had been from the Advanced Team, but what was coming next, was from the general army's war weapons.
The next moment, hundreds, or maybe thousands, of fireballs took to the sky with one objective, to destroy the cave and flatten everyone and everything there.
"Okay, we are doomed!" I am Fortress said. He had already delivered the component, but seeing this incoming threat, he did not see a way out. Not even the cave could withstand the bombardment of all these fireballs.
He didn't even know the stats but he could tell, they would be awe-inspiring. What's worse, they were already in the air. Logging out would have even more dire consequences than dying, so all he could do was wait for death.
"Not so fast," Bor said as he fixed the components in place. He had just a few critical seconds before the attack landed, but even then he did not allow himself to loose hope.
Fix bolt here.
Fasten cable.
Twist the handle and hammer in the rivet.
These were the thoughts running through his mind, until finally.
Turn the pivot on the shaft to engage the magic array, and Finally: "PULL THE LEVER!"
Bor shouted that last part.
Katcha!
The next moment, a soft switching sound came from the tower. Like a gathering tide, spiritual energy rushed from all over as if being pulled by a magnet, forming a dome over the group, and not a moment too soon.
Boom! Boomoom!
Just as the dome came up, so did the fireballs connect. Loud explosions were heard all over, especially in the area above Bor and his crew. Watching the explosions going off was an experience on its own, but what was so beautiful was, not a single Fireball penetrated.