Raid (5)

"And that right there is the last Lair that we currently know the location of... isn't this just wonderful? The last three were tough nuts to crack, so what the hells does this one have in store for us?"

The muttering of Alessia beside me made me nod, and I watched as the Young Master unsheathed his flared blade and pointed it at the Lair, wordlessly signaling for us to march forwards and into the Lair, just like we had previously.

Two of the Wardens were at the back, one was standing beside the Young Master, and the remaining two took their positions at the vanguard, hoisting their staves and leading the way into the Lair without much fanfare at all, treating it like any other location.

The rest of us normal, lighter armored warriors just exchanged glances before following behind them, our weapons held at the ready as we approached the giant mound that held an entrance into the earth beneath its rocky exterior, whilst one of the many towering trees grew off of the side of the mound, further camouflaging the entrance when you were looking from afar; something that seemed odd considering how large it was, but this entrance blended in rather well with the surroundings.

"And we're not even near the center of the forest just yet... man, this year is drastically more challenging than last year... wonder why..."

Hearing Paci's question, Alessia just shrugged and marched forwards, though I couldn't help but pause as I pursed my lips and looked around, wondering if this was a fabricated event that was in the game's preset events, if this was a result of the merging of us Players into this world, or if this had something to do with the Gods being 'released' onto the world..?

Was it just a normal event, or was it truly a sign for things to come, a mere taste of what the future was going to hold now that this was 'beginning' of the games story?

I couldn't shake the feeling that it was a combination of things that I wasn't too ecstatic to hear, and that realization made me clench my fingers around the hilt of my wooden blade as hard as I could, my knuckles going white as I turned back and followed the others in, my senses on high alert as we entered the dim, humid Lair.

The air cooled down instantly, though the moisture in it didn't benefit us at all as we cautiously traversed the path that led us deeper into the earth, the clinking of our armor and thudding of our boots echoing around us as we walked, something that made us all wince at just how hard it was to conceal the noise of multiple squads walking in a confined space.

Though, the element of surprise was never going to be on our side anyways, not when the whistling of an arrow drew closer, slicing through the air straight towards the throat of one of the Animus Warden's at the front.

An eruption of flames burst forth from the Warden's staff, burning the arrow into dust and protecting them from the four other arrows that arced down towards them after the initial one.

Seeing the arrows get burnt, the various Goblins decided there was no need to hide themselves anymore as they snarled, roared and growled from the bottom of the tunnel, sparking up the various primitive sconces that lined the walls with a spark of flame that they themselves summoned up, illuminating the Lair and revealing the dozens upon dozens of Goblins that were already waiting for us... as well as illuminating the tunnels that lead into the cavern, which were allowing more monsters to race towards us with each passing second.

Arrows and spears flew towards us in a cloud of rock and metal, marking the swift shift from a march to a battle as orders were shouted out instantly, shield wielding soldiers moving to the front and creating a wall that began to move forwards, whilst the two Wardens anchored the center of the line with their magics, deflecting and destroying as many projectiles as they could, which was including the bolts of mana that were being slung at us from the Crones and Shamans in the back.

Instantly, we went from marching to battling, and instantly we went from individuals to a collective unit, each of us becoming a singular part in an organic machine whose sole function was to deal death, something that I noted right away as I was moved to the middle of Alessia's squad and made to watch over everyone else from behind, providing support once more.

My weakness was shoved into my face once more, my inability to be on the frontlines being highlighted as I watched the Wardens redirect the mana bolts and send them hurtling back down to the magically attuned Goblins that had sent them flying towards us, or how I saw Alessia and Trania shrouding themselves in their mana and using their heightened reflexes to block the projectiles that threatened to puncture their armor and cut them down.

It was becoming increasingly clear that I was truly back at the bottom of the power totem once more, the unique feeling of helplessness as you watched those stronger than you fight for their beliefs, their ideals pervading my mind once more, but like I had done many times before, I shook it away and focused on what I could do... and one of the things I could do was aid everyone here.

Where were we?

In the middle of a forest.

What was my magic type?

Nature.

Was I going to let this stop me from being of use?

Was I going to mope that I was no longer a strong Player who could ignore all of these NPC's and solo this area by myself?

No, no I wasn't.

I needed to work my way back to that, and to start... I needed to play into my current strengths, and that was my magic being empowered by the location I was in, alongside my broad experience and knowledge I had from this game's predecessor.

Raising my hands, I took the simple, self oriented spell that I had in my arsenal - [Wooden Armor] - and switched out one of its components, turning it from an individual buff spell into an area of effect spell that buffed those around me.

Something that would usually take a bit of practice and an understanding of what made spells work, and whilst I wasn't the most academically talented woman in the world, I was smart enough and clever enough to be able to do something as simple as take out one piece and replace it with a similar enough piece to achieve a different result.

And as such, I grit my teeth, closed my eyes and funneled my mana outwards, making a call of aid to the environment around me as I created a strong bark around those around me, enhancing their defenses even by just a little bit.

But a small amount was all it took sometimes to make a difference between life and death, and we all understood that intimately as the soldiers around me pressed forwards and made use of my spell, closing the distance and engaging the monsters in melee combat.