Exile shivered as he landed in the forest to let the survivors continue their escape by foot. He could not help but glance in the direction they had come from as a sense of danger filled his mind. ‘They can’t have caught up already, can they?’
“Ok, everyone spread out and make your way to the fallback point. The others should head there once they revive. It’s your best chance of surviving.” Mikari shouted as he watched those players bow before splitting up. “I hope you have some way to save us.”
Exile caught his brother’s gaze as he glanced toward the sky. ‘Flying is out of the question. It’ll just make us easier to find.’ He thought as he replenished his DP through his religious item. ‘There are no witnesses now, so I guess I can use that spell.’
“Stay close to me,” Exile replied as he activated his Dark Shroud spell.
A black rune appeared on the palm of his left hand as an inky liquid surrounded Mikari and himself. “This’ll hide us from their sight and it destroys and smells we give off. It’s an emergency spell I created for situations where I couldn’t fight my way out.”
Exile sighed as Mikari studied the spell with interest. The pair marched through the forest in silence as Exile thought about what his arsenal lacked. ‘I never got a chance to use my close combat spells, and my long-range ones waste so much energy.’ Exile frowned as he manoeuvred around the trees being careful not to trip over any exposed roots.
‘I need a large-scale spell with a lot of power. Something that will be difficult to avoid.’ Exile considered a number of options but decided that fire would be his best choice. ‘Lightning is powerful, but it’s best used as a high-power spell with precision. At least by using fire, I can let it run wild.’
Exile silently wished that his Authority over Runes would allow him to use other elements. However, the few times he tried it he discovered he could not activate them. ‘It’s probably because I don’t have their true meanings in my divine power.’
As he thought about it, he realised the same could be said for some of his other spells. ‘Maybe there is a way around it but I’m not seeing it yet. My runes have been more versatile than making straightforward spells limited by my fire element.’
Exile put a pin in that thought for a later date. There was no point in trying to come up with a solution right now. At that moment, both he and Mikari heard a loud buzzing spreading through the forest.
“Stay still. I’m not sure how effective this spell is yet while moving.” Exile hissed as he leaned his back against a tree and studied the direction of the sound.
Mikari copied him and eventually pointed to a spot to their left where a group of ten flying Stalkers passed by. Exile held a finger to his mouth to remind Mikari to stay silent as a larger group appeared and headed in their direction.
Mikari felt his heart race as those creatures closed in and studied the area around them. One of those beasts even looked Mikari dead in the eyes but showed no response. The group screeched among themselves before heading further north.
The duo remained still until the sounds faded. They breathed heavily as they anxiously checked their surroundings before continuing their journey. ‘Well, it works.’ Exile chuckled to himself as he quickened his pace through the forest undergrowth.
‘They’re definitely searching for us survivors. I’d hoped they would’ve given up on us.’ Exile groaned even though he had known that hope was only slightly possible. He motioned to Mikari to watch the ground as well. Exile did not want to be taken by surprise by any of those creatures that could be travelling beneath their feet. .
Hours passed before they heard the buzzing sound return. When Exile caught sight of those creatures, he balled his hands up into fists. ‘Divine Orbs.’ Exile shook his head with an expression full of pity. Those creatures were returning from the north, where they had obviously caught up to at least four survivors.
‘I wonder if any of the others will be able to make it out of this situation.’ Exile sighed as he motioned to Mikari to move again as those Stalkers disappeared into the treeline. He could already imagine Clay and Noslin gathering the players at the fallback point while being hellbent on getting revenge.
‘Even if we kill them, there’s still Nar’Kozz to deal with. I’m starting to think he’s highly intelligent and probably far more powerful now. Would I even stand a chance against him? Or do I need to create a spell with even more firepower?’
Exile silently contemplated that problem. The only method he knew of that could bring superior results to his spells was the method described in the tome. ‘If I blend the dark and fire elements I should come out with something more useful. But the book also said I shouldn’t attempt it yet.’
Exile started to have doubts about that. He knew there were potentially dangerous events that could occur if he did not handle the blending process correctly. However, there was no point playing it safe if Nar’Kozz and his army could overwhelm Valheim.
‘It’s not like we can evacuate everyone to the mountain either. We’d have to travel through the forest to get everyone there.’ Exile massaged his temples as they continued their long march. He was certain they could defend Himinbj?rg more easily with its advantageous position and smaller footprint. They could focus far more players on preventing the enemy from breaching those walls. However, he wondered if there was any other way to get every Skardian player there.
Exile eventually broke the silence by explaining his thoughts to Mikari, who shrugged in response. “Even if we could get there, there’s not enough room inside its walls for everyone. You’d have to fight a pitched battle on the mountain paths.”
“So, it’s useless?” Exile asked with a low groan.
“Not really, it’d still be easier to defend. You weren’t wrong when you considered a smaller footprint. Valheim is just too large for the number of players we have at our disposal.” Mikari replied as he gazed into the distance. “You remember when you told me about the Autosphere? If Nar’Kozz’s minions are above ground, won’t the tunnels be empty just now?”
“Wait, you’re not suggesting evacuating through those tunnels, are you?” Exile asked as a deep frown appeared on his face.
“Why not? If Nar’Kozz pushes this victory with an all-out assault, Valheim will definitely fall. The tunnels could be a risk, but at worst, they’re probably still a breeding ground for weaker Stalkers.” Mikari explained as he tapped his chin. “So they’d be infinitely less dangerous than travelling through the forest.”
Exile nodded slowly as he considered the plan as a whole. “What do you think our chances are of overcoming Nar’Kozz and the horde?”
“Do you want me to be honest?” Mikari asked as his brother nodded his head. “Bad. I feel like Nar’Kozz has to go down to be sure of victory.”
Exile cocked his eyebrow as he glanced at his brother. “Obviously he has to die, but the more casualties we inflict on his army will decrease his overall power, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Mikari replied with a sigh. “They care so little for the weaker specimens that it made me wonder. The only reason they could treat them as being so expendable is probably that their species has a high birth rate. I’m guessing Nar’Kozz is somehow responsible for that.”
“So, unless Nar’Kozz dies, we’ll constantly face a never-ending tide of these creatures?” Exile asked with a grim expression.
“Yeah, that’s my guess anyway. It wouldn’t matter where we go because they’ll eventually spread through the entire heavenly realm. Once they find us, they’ll just launch endless waves til they finish us all off for good.”
“Do you think Nar’Kozz will nest inside Valheim? Or do you think he’ll come looking for us?” Exile asked as several thoughts sped through his mind.
“If I were him, I’d leave a sizeable army in Valheim in case we return and go looking for us. His species seem to have an innate drive to eat our orbs so he’s probably starving.” Mikari groaned as he gave voice to his thoughts. “It’d be easier if we knew more about him. But we can’t even plan for what abilities that boss might have.”
Exile nodded as he motioned for his brother to stand still again. A loud buzzing filled the area as several groups of the flying Stalkers converged near their position. Exile counted how many orbs they were carrying and shook his head with a solemn expression. ‘We’re the last two left.’
Exile sighed as he watched the Stalkers with orbs break off from that group before the rest of them scattered throughout the forest. ‘We have to get back as fast as possible and put this plan into motion. It’ll buy us time until Nar’Kozz can figure out where we all went. If we’re lucky, we might just gain enough time for others to reach Tier 2.’
A determined look appeared on Exile’s face as he considered that their best option. There were bound to be divine animals near the mountain for the players to grind. But first, they’d have to traverse those dark tunnels safely. ‘And there’s still the piece of the first flame hinted to be down there…’