41 Striking Back

((A/N: Sorry for not getting anything out yesterday, I have a chronic medical condition and it flared up. I couldn't focus on writing while it was ongoing. I'm still not 100%, but my condition has improved enough to get this chapter out. I should be good moving forward.))

Captain Xinyi led their little party out to begin scouting for their enemies' patrols; they would have to choose their battles carefully. Preferably, they would catch their enemies in prepared ambushes. Their first objective was to determine how close their enemies were.

Their party had an Aeromancer to provide some magical firepower. However her main role was outside of combat. She could impart strong movement buffs to the party and could use the wind to sweep the snow behind them clean of their tracks.

A Druid and a Paladin would handle the healing duties and also would provide minor magical support. Both were also capable frontline fighters—although the Paladin's heavy armor made him better suited for that role.

A Ranger and Amarok would handle the scouting duties. Captain Xinyi was their only Advanced class. Her Duelist class let her cut down their enemies with ease, but she lacked the health to take too many hits.

They followed their trail back to the battlefield. When they had made their initial trek to the castle, the snow had been blown around to cover their tracks.

However, certain classes could track the magical signature left behind, so they had to ensure no enemies were following that magical trail back to their home base. Taking out several enemy parties was worthless if their few remaining allies were found and eliminated.

They reached the battlefield without finding any enemies. With a sense of relief in their hearts, they pressed on. Amarok and Terrel, the Ranger, scouted far in front of the party, and the rest carefully followed the marks left by Terrel.

The area they covered was within the wide pass; Callum's Keep was in a narrow valley that intersected with the main pass. A normal person would have to travel most of the day to move from one side of the pass to the other.

By the time they stopped for lunch at noon, they had located three enemy scouting parties that they hadn't been able to attack. One party was deemed too strong and the other two were too close to each other; attacking one would have alerted the other one.

After a quick lunch and a quiet debate, they decided to backtrack to see if the two parties had moved away from each other. They felt confident they could safely take on either of those parties.

"I found them, they are now over two miles (3.2km) from each other. The one with the Advanced class is to our west," Terrel said as he returned to the party.

"Excellent, let's get ahead of them and lay our ambush," Captain Xinyi said with a vicious smile. They had been on the run for too long. With their noncombatants safe, it was time to turn the tables on their pursuers.

_____

Three mixed parties of bandits and mercenaries confidently traveled into a small pass through some hills. Their two scouts were only a short distance in front of them and their lackadaisical manner demonstrated their belief in their safety.

Their illusion of safety was shattered when a gut wrenching cry echoed through the area. A fighter lay on the ground as he screamed in pain and clawed at the trap his leg was stuck in. Several of the healers rushed to his aid and all focus turned inward at the unexpected scene.

Callum burst out of the forest and streaked towards their enemy, the other melee fighters also took advantage of their enemies' poor discipline. Spells and arrows streaked overhead and struck two of the distracted healers.

Their low health was quickly depleted and they were dead before anyone could react to the sudden onslaught. Through their connection, Callum could feel the moment when Amarok pounced on one of the enemy scouts.

He had covered 3/4th of the distance to the closest enemy before they started to react to the melee charge; Aeromancer buffs and his <<Rage>> ability gave him figurative wings. He had earned <<Rage>> outside of a class, so he still had it despite his class change.

Confident in his <<Spirit Armor>>, and some looted armor from yesterday's battle, Callum didn't hesitate to take advantage of his strongest attack ability.

He viciously swung his axe at the closest enemy, who was just now trying to get his shield up to block. The strike disarmed him, literally. His opponent could only stare in shock at his arm lying in the snow as Callum's axe descended once again.

Callum's consciousness was a sea of hatred and unceasing rage. His thoughts were limited to inflicting violence on all his foes. He blasted through the enemies still forming a line of battle and paid no mind to the headless and armless torso behind him.

Two quick axe strikes finished off the still trapped fighter before he whirled to face his next opponent. Blows landed on his unfeeling body as he stood in the middle of the enemy's formation.

He paid no attention to such inconsequential matters—such as his very survival—as he continued his rampage; axe blows rained down upon his enemies with a deadly wildness his opponents were unprepared for.

Unbeknownst to Callum, his allies also struck the disordered enemy line. They quickly carved a path through the bodies of their enemies; many were left wounded in Callum's wake. Down two dedicated healers, the surprised enemy had little chance to reorganize before death was upon them.

The enemy's Advanced class was intercepted by Captain Xinyi and she kept him occupied and unable to lead a counterattack against the others in her party. She excelled in one on one situations, and this opponent was her equal when it came to levels.

He was a Grand Paladin with a formidable defense and heavy armor. Facing Xinyi, he was forced to constantly use buffs and healing on himself, as her relentless attacks dropped his health precipitously. Left without his leadership or healing, the rest of their foes quickly crumpled.

Callum was suddenly free of the ring of enemies surrounding him. He raised his axe for another strike before he identified the figure before him as an ally. He turned and charged towards the next adversary; his maniacal scream caused even his own allies to shudder in unease.

Amarok's lunge took the last healer by surprise as she was focused on trying to keep Callum's next victim standing. Meanwhile, the Druid and Paladin were pouring their own healing magic into Callum and whoever else needed it.

The rest of the battle was a formality at that point. Their enemies were still on their backfoot from the ambush; they lacked dedicated healers, and were disorganized by Callum's reckless charge into their battle line.

The final nail in the coffin was when the Aeromancer held the Grand Paladin motionless for an instant by controlling the air around him. That momentary pause was all Captain Xinyi needed to bury her blade in her opponent's neck.

The sight of their dead commander caused the few remaining enemies to finally flee the battle. However, the enraged Callum was not going to let his enemies escape that easily and he took off after them.

Only Terrel and Amarok had the speed to assist Callum in finishing off the retreating individuals. The rest of the party busied themselves with collecting the loot, checking for injuries, and hiding the bodies and traces of their battle.