Chapter 40: Bulwark (3)
"AAAAAHH!!!"
Someone slammed into the Hobgoblin Commander’s side.
No, not someone. It was Jules.
He crashed into the monster with his shield raised and all that heavy, awkward strength of his behind it. The impact thundered through the trees. The commander staggered off its path, boots carving through wet earth as Jules forced it sideways with a strained shout.
"D-Don’t touch him!"
Misha stared in admiration. That was... actually incredible.
Then a blur shot past her from behind.
Nyxie.
She came like a storm finally let off its leash, claymore already swinging. The blade tore across the commander’s side in one savage arc, carving through flesh and cracked armor alike. Blood sprayed across the roots.
Nyxie landed light on her feet and grinned, wild and breathless. "Miss me?"
A cold wind swept through the trees right after her.
Yara stepped through the mist with her ice sword in hand, frost curling around her boots and climbing the bark of the nearest trunk. Goblin corpses littered the path behind her. A few still twitched.
Her eyes swept over the scene once.
The commander roared and turned, but it was already too late.
Yara rushed toward it, her blade swung once, sharp and pale as moonlight. Frost exploded across the monster’s arm the moment steel met flesh. Ice raced from the wound to its shoulder in a breath.
"Gerbaut," Yara called.
That was all she needed to say.
Gerbaut lunged at once. His spear drove forward with brutality and pierced straight through the commander’s chest.
The monster jerked, snarled, and still tried to move.
Nyxie clicked her tongue. "So persistent. Just die already!"
She stepped in and brought the claymore down on its knee.
Bone cracked and the hobgoblin commander dropped hard, half-frozen, half-butchered, and very much out of chances.
Misha could only stare with her mouth open.
A second ago, she had thought things were about to fall apart.
She had only been away from them for a few minutes. That was all, a few minutes. Still, seeing them felt ridiculously reassuring.
This was her team. She belonged to this team. For some reason, the thought hit her right in the chest.
"How did you find us already?" Misha couldn’t help but ask.
"Nyxie’s nose." Elyes said at once.
Nyxie’s brow twitched. "What am I, a dog?! It’s not my fault I have a better sense of smell!"
Jules, still braced in front of the commander. He was breathing hard, shield arm trembling, but he stood his ground anyway.
Yara turned to the others without sparing it another glance. "We’ll take care of this. Keep running."
The forest shrieked around them again.
More goblins moved through the mist, circling at the edge of the clearing like scavengers waiting for a corpse to stop twitching.
Nyxie rolled her shoulders and lifted her claymore. "We’ll catch up."
Gerbaut carried the knight behind him once again before he started leading the way with the knight’s instruction. Elyes followed behind them.
Misha ran after them while the fight exploded behind her a second time.
This time, she looked back once. Only once.
Jules slammed his shield into a goblin hard enough to send it rolling through the mud. Nyxie laughed and spun through two more in a spray of blood. Yara stepped into the center of them all, calm and merciless, her ice blade cutting silver through the dark.
She faced straight ahead.
===
A faint orange light flickered through the mist.
Misha saw it and nearly laughed from relief. "Is that–"
"Yes," Elyes cut in.
They broke through the last line of trees and stumbled into a clearing.
The northern checkpoint rose ahead of them. A wooden watchpost stood behind sharpened stakes and a half-broken barricade. Lanterns burned low along the perimeter, their light weak.
A pair of armed men turned at the sound of movement, swords half-raised, panic already in their faces.
Then they saw the knight.
"Sir Aldren!"
The two soldiers rushed forward at once.
Gerbaut lowered the knight from his back and handed him off to them. The man nearly collapsed into their arms, bloodied and barely conscious, but still breathing.
Elyes held up the sealed letter. "This is for Captain Reinhardt."
One of the soldiers went pale and grabbed it with both hands like the paper itself might explode. "Yes!"
Ding!
「〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Protect theMessenger and deliver the sealed letter safely to the next checkpoint (1/1) 」
「 Congratulations! Floor Quest Cleared! 」
Misha stopped where she stood and bent forward, hands on her knees, trying to drag air back into her lungs.
They finally made it...
For a moment, nothing moved except her chest.
Then she straightened and looked back toward the forest. Mist drifted between the trees. It was dark and too quiet.
Misha wiped sweat from her temple and frowned. "They’ll be here soon, right?"
Ding!
「 〔SYSTEM NOTICE〕
Linked Quest Detected.
Proceeding to the next phase.
Initializing Next Floor Quest... 」
「 〔FLOOR QUEST〕
Defend the Northern Checkpoint (0/1)
Survive for 30 Minutes
Failure Condition:
All defenders are eliminated. 」
「 〔WARNING〕
Retreat is prohibited.
The use of Teleportation Runes has been temporarily restricted until the Linked Floor Quest is cleared.
Prepare for prolonged combat. 」
Misha stared, her stomach dropped.
For one full second, the checkpoint went dead silent.
"You’ve got to be kidding me..."
They barely caught a breath, then chain the next disaster right on top of it. A prolonged combat quest and no retreat.
"So that’s why..." Elyes muttered under his breath. "The entry limit for this floor is 6... we should’ve recruited more if we knew."
A heavy set man in worn officer’s armor strode out from the main watchpost then, one hand already on the hilt of his sword.
Captain Reinhardt, Misha guessed.
He looked exhausted and battle-worn. He turned toward the wounded knight as the soldiers carried him inside.
Relief crossed his face for one brief second when he saw the sealed letter had arrived. Then he faced Skyreach. "Thank you for delivering him" His voice came out rough but steady. "This outpost guards the northern supply line. If it falls, the surrounding checkpoints will lose contact by dawn."
The captain pointed toward the barricades. "Archers to the platforms. Shield-bearers to the front stakes. As for the mages, save your mana until you see what comes out of those trees."
Then the ground shook.
Every head turned toward the forest.
