Exile groaned as his DP fell to less than a quarter as he activated Comet’s Flight. The spell cast a fiery inferno around him, originating from his wings and greatly enhanced his speed. Hundreds of Stalkers burnt up from his passing as he created some distance between Nar’Kozz and himself. ‘I need to save the rest.’ Exile frowned as he pulled runestones from his inventory. The battle at ground level seemed dismal at best. But Exile didn’t want to give up. Until the last player fell, he would hold out for as long as he could. Even if he couldn’t see a way for the players to wipe out every Stalker. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Exile’s expression turned grim as he unleashed the runestones he had saved up. Besides throwing them at his pursuers, he used many of them to carpet-bomb the mountain. The place that was supposed to be a fortified sanctuary for the Skardian players was now a raging inferno. ‘If we make it through this, we have to reevaluate the defences.’ Exile scowled as he started his terrible habit again. Mikari often scolded him for thinking of far-off problems when dealing with a critical situation. Exile tilted his wingtips to throw him into a dive, just in time to avoid several Stalkers targeting him. He removed several runestones from his inventory and threw them behind him. Moments later, he heard them explode as they made contact with his pursuers.
He nodded as he pulled out of his dive before crashing into the mountain, which caused several loud splats to reach his ears. However, Nar’Kozz had used Exile’s dive to get ahead of him and was now barreling toward the latter. Exile gritted his teeth as he searched his inventory for a runestone with enough power to divert the Devourer. ‘It looks like my luck has run out.’ Exile sighed as he prepared to launch the final spell he had held in reserve.
Exile summoned his divine power and concentrated on the treacherous element inside him. At that moment, the air suddenly trembled with furious screeches. His gaze was drawn away from his opponent and aimed toward Valheim in the distance. There, an unbelievable sight was unfolding!
Skardian players riding on the back of giant eagles as fire trailed behind them were riding back to the battlefield! A wide grin split Exile’s face as the players fired spells at the dark clouds of Stalkers in the air.
‘How?’ That was all Exile managed to think before Allyce connected to his mind.
[Seems like we made it in time.]
Exile could hear the relief in Allyce’s tone as he considered how to take advantage of the situation.
‘I’m bringing the fight to you. Have your people ready to intercept.’ Exile replied as he detonated several runestones to force him off his collision course with Nar’Kozz. ‘Focus on the small ones, then support the gods still fighting on the ground.’
[As you command.]
Although he was still curious how Allyce and her nest could be there, Exile cut off the connection. It was a question that could wait until the end of the crisis. Nar’Kozz screeched in frustration as Exile blasted past its outstretched arms, forcing the monster to waste time turning to chase him again. Exile’s wings flapped furiously as he headed toward the largest Phoenix Eagle he could see. He felt connected with it, so he reasoned it had to be Allyce. The other eagles swarmed toward Allyce as they took up a flying V formation.
It was a magnificent sight to see as they carved a bloody path through the Stalkers. Exile grinned as the formation scattered at his approach to avoid being caught by Nar’Kozz trailing in Exile’s wake.
Exile immediately felt the pressure easing up as the eagles and players riding on them shot down scores of Stalkers every second. ‘We’re overwhelming them! I need to delay Nar’Kozz a while longer!’
Exile turned again to scan the mountainside. Eventually, he caught sight of the two players he needed right now. An ice wall had appeared on the mountain path as a giant golden statue swatted the Stalkers charging at it. ‘That’ll save me some time if they’re already together.’ Exile sighed in relief as he sped up. He activated a Flare runestone and fired it toward the pair to grab their attention.
Noslin scowled as she created a wave of ice to seal off a pit. ‘How much longer does this have to go on?’ She jumped slightly as hundreds of Stalkers crashed to the ground around her. She had been so caught up in the enemies before her she had failed to notice the reinforcements!
“What the hell are those?” Noslin stammered as Phoenix Eagles swooped low overhead. Their fire, combined with the players’ spells, annihilated all the Stalkers along their path. “That must be Allyce’s people!” Mikari shouted over his shoulder. “I didn’t expect this, but it’s a welcome development!”
Mikari suddenly went silent as a ball of fire appeared between them before detonating in a bright flash of light. His eyes immediately traced the direction the projectile had come from. Only to see his brother headed toward them, quickly followed by the Devourer. “Get ready, Noslin!” Mikari yelled as he pointed them out. “It’s time for the next phase!”
Noslin cursed as she tore away from the Stalkers, still trying to get at them. She was left with no choice but to entrust her back to the players who still remained at that checkpoint. “I hope this plan of yours works, Mikari. If not, we’ll be the next ones to die!” Noslin shook her head at the mischievous grin from the younger Anderson brother. “If that happens, I’ll kill you till you stay dead!”
Mikari burst out laughing at her threat as he prepared himself for what they had to do. Their timing would be essential, it was unfortunate that the others Mikari wanted to use were either dead or somewhere else.
“We’ll have to make it work with just the three of us!” Mikar yelled as he started counting down till impact.
Exile inhaled the nauseating breath of Nar’Kozz hot on his heels as he kept himself focused on the two players in front of him. ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and… Now!’
Exile swiftly pulled up as he felt the air around him turn frigid. Nar’Kozz slammed into the ice wall that had suddenly appeared, but as it struggled to resume its chase, more ice layered itself over its giant body! Nar’Kozz screeched in defiance as the ice cracked and snapped while more piled itself on the beast.
“Now, Mikari!” Noslin screamed as she quickly burned through her DP.
Nar’Kozz’s head snapped to the side as several fists punched its jaw. Mikari’s Victorious Statue laid into the giant, stunning it long enough for Exile to land on its back!
Exile grinned savagely as he detonated tens of runestones at once. Nar’Kozz’s back blistered and cracked as its wings were burnt to nothing. ‘We can do this!’ Exile chuckled as Nar’Kozz thrashed with all its might. “I’m running out of steam here!” Noslin suddenly yelled, but Exile only calmly waved back.
“We’ve got it from here! Keep the small ones off us!” Mikari yelled as he directed his statue to seize Nar’Kozz’s wrists when its arms broke free.
This plan was only viable because of the size and power of Mikari’s greatest spell. The Victorious Statue was larger than Nar’Kozz and had more arms to use in combat.
The Devourer quickly found itself on the back foot as it wrestled with Mikari’s ability. Meanwhile, Exile poured an enormous amount of resources into chipping away at the beast’s health. Nar’Kozz bit through two of the arms holding onto it and tried to make a break for it. However, before Mikari could react, Nar’Kozz fell to its knees.
“Did you miss us?” Clay laughed as he jumped down from the ice wall. Swiftly followed by Winter as she fought for control of Nar’Kozz’s mind.
“Shouldn’t you guys be out of DP by now?” Exile asked as he cocked an eyebrow, all while punching the helpless giant beneath him.
“We followed Mikari up here while Winter kept us concealed. We had enough time to recharge with our symbols. Where do you want me?” Clay yelled as he shouldered the massive axe his weapon had taken the form of. “See if you can’t cut its legs off! We need to subdue it til we can hunt down the small ones!” Mikari shouted as he pummelled Nar’Kozz’s face into the dirt.
Clay nodded and leapt toward Nar’Kozz’s legs and hacked at them. If he did any damage, he couldn’t tell. ‘Damn, what’s this thing made of?’ Clay cursed as he activated several support spells to buff his stats.
“How long can you keep this up for, Winter?” Exile called out.
“Two or three minutes, max! This thing’s stats are insane!” Exile nodded as he set a mental countdown. “Keep it up! We’re almost there!”
Meanwhile, Allyce, who had turned back to a humanoid form, swept over the mountain path with her elite guards. Her arrows and the assault of those with her quickly cleared Nar’Kozz’s ground forces from the mountain. Her gaze scanned the skies briefly, where her people were hunting the last of the winged Stalkers. The Phoenix Eagles simply outperformed and outmanoeuvred the Stalkers at every turn. Which made the enemy numbers entirely useless against them.
Many players would’ve puked if they realised how easily the Eagles were winning that fight. All because they were better suited to seizing aerial superiority. Just as Allyce allowed a thin smile to appear on her face, she sensed an ominous energy from somewhere nearby.