The line held against the screeching tide, and soon, they were all covered in fresh, sickly green. Now that they knew to expect the mental attacks, the Scimitar apprentices were, if still somewhat defenceless against them, at least prepared and on the lookout to react to them. Nar, by virtue of his capabilities, often found himself wading deep into that mass of fur, claws and teeth, to hunt for those psychic aether wilding beasts, Rel, Tuk, Cen, and even ranged from surrounding parties, doing their best to support him and to keep him from being overrun, and the hours drifted by as they continued to weather that endless tide of beasts.

  “Stop! Stop!” Kur suddenly shouted. “We have to go back!”

  “What?” Tuk asked him. “Why?”

  “We’re being called back!” Kur said. “The COO just sent me a message!”

  “Why now?” Cen asked.

  “Is it over?” the ring tosser pressed.

  “Does this look over to you?” Mul shouted, punching his fist down the throat of a psaelis, the beast trashing weakly under his grip.

  “It says the den is a lot better established than their initial estimates!” Kur relayed to them. “They’ve called a bunch of parties back to the beetles, and they’re going to fly us over further in, closer to the Den Boss. Unless we kill it, its buff is going to make this last forever, and while we and the Navy are doing okay, the other apprentice-ship is getting hammered, and considering calling it quits!”

  Nar exhaled heavily, and looked down at his most recent kill, recalling the dead black and yellow uniform.

  They are a lot tougher now, he thought, grimacing, and if the other apprentice-ship had already been struggling before…

  “Why do we have to go?” Cen asked. “We already were the vanguard?”

  “I don’t know!” Kur said. “Let’s just go! Maybe it was a mistake!”

  Nar snorted. “I doubt that very much.”

  “Me too,” Tuk said, grimacing.

  “Yeah… These people don’t make mistakes like that,” Rel said, letting loose another red streaking arrow.

  Surprisingly, the grumpy complainer amongst them kept his mouth shut, and Nar glanced over at the brawler. Mul was heaving heavily, his breathing loud even in the chaos of battle, his arms dripping gore as he stared down at his latest kill.

  “You okay?” Gad asked the lengos, noticing the same.

  “Yes,” he grunted, and he stomped after the others as they turned to obey their new orders.

  Nar and Gad exchanged a look at his back.

  “Let’s keep an eye on him,” Gad said. “Just in case something’s up…”

  They jogged back towards the beetles, the sounds of the frontline fading behind them, and Nar realized that rather than just taking it, the apprentices had actually been pushing forward into the horde.

  In the now quiet shimmering dust, which had darkened and taken a more brown tone to it, covering everything within it in a reddish-brown shimmer, Nar saw that a few wasps had landed in the den as well.

  “Injured over there!” a man shouted, pointing at the closest beetle. “If you were called, then head to the wasps!”

  “We were called!” Kur shouted. “But we were already part of the vanguard?”

  The man shrugged. “I don’t make the rules, kid. Ask them when you get there.”

  With a nod, Kur swallowed his frustration and guided them towards the wasps, where a group of apprentices were gathering.

  “I don't make the rules,” a familiar voice repeated. “I’m just doing what your masters and instructors told me. If they want you in the vanguard and the strike force as well, that’s not my problem. It’s your privilege!”

  “Crystal damned it,” Kur muttered.

  Well, so much for that, Nar thought. Thanks, master.

  He had no trouble imagining his master’s immediate decision of throwing Nar into whatever this new task was, in the continued pursuit of better gains and experience, XP and battle wise. And he had no doubts that the Master of Aura had backed him up as well.

  If she didn’t suggest it first, Nar sighed, wondering if he should feel bad for putting his party in harm's way like that. But then again, Jul and Viy are also here, and I think Cen also got the attention of the Master of Aura… Maybe we’re all just collectively very strong.

  “We’re okay,” Gad said. “We can do it.”

  They slowed down as they reached the COO, present in the flesh on the battlefield, but wearing simple garb, rather than any form of armor.

  “Kur’s party, reporting in,” Kur said, his tone low.

  Tys smiled at them with sympathy. “Sorry, Kur. I’m just supervising.”

  “We heard, COO,” Kur said. “That’s alright. More gains for us.”

  “Now that’s the delvers spirit!” Tys said, grinning. “Take a break. We’re just waiting for a few more.”

  “Yes, COO.”

  They stood to one side, and Nar sat down, sighing with relief. He noticed that no one had lowered their helmets and begrudgingly decided to do the same, though it was a tough choice between the dust and the heat that had gathered inside the helmet, as well as the growing soreness around his ears and back of his neck. Xilart had been right about her warning, and he couldn’t wait for everything to be over so he could remove the damned thing.

  Instead, he resigned himself by rolling his shoulders and shifted his neck around, stretching it as much as he could, which in fairness, was a lot. The flexibility of their armor was surprisingly good.

  And 20% physical and aspected damage reduction overall, Nar thought, finally having some time to examine his activated gear. That’s not bad. Not bad at all… But it doesn’t do anything against those mental or psychic attacks.

  Jul dropped heavily at his side, pulling him back from the armor's tab, and he looked her over. Her smoke armor shifted around her, in the slow air currents brushing against them, and from what he could see, she seemed alright, even if her HP now stood in the yellow, as most of melee did.

  “You okay?” Nar asked her, just to confirm. “Any injuries?”

  The quam shook her head.

  “Nothing,” she said. “But the voices… The desire to give up… The need to be…”

  She cleared her throat. “They’re lower now. I can just ignore them.”

  “That’s good,” Nar said, sighing. “That mind thing sounds really nasty.”

  She nodded slowly and leaned on his shoulder. Another party emerged from the glimmering brown dust, and Nar looked up to see who it was.

  “Is that Row’s party?” he asked out loud.

  “What?” Tuk asked, his head nearly snapping off his neck with how quickly he looked up. “Oi! Row’s party!”

  “Kur’s party!” Jaz shouted back. “Why do you guys look so beat up?”

  “We were part of the vanguard!” Tuk shouted back.

  “You were?” Row asked. “Why are you here then?”

  “Because those are their orders, apprentice,” Tys said, her tone iron. “What took you so long?”

  “I’m sorry, COO!” Row replied, snapping to attention. “We were in the far end, close to the aethermancers! Things aren’t looking good there…”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Oh… Fair enough then,” Tys said. “Alright. Gather up people! You’re the strike team! That means we’re gonna go in guns blazing, open up a hole right where the Den Boss is, and drop you in it to go and finish this thing!”

  “Just our fifteen parties, COO?” another party leader asked.

  “From our side, yes,” the COO replied. “The navy will be sending over the same numbers, so, there should be about three hundred of you fighting for the prize. The wasps will also remain nearby, to provide relief whenever you look like you’re about to be overwhelmed, but don’t rely on us too much, or the others will call us cheaters!”

  “Yes, COO!”

  “Plus, we still need those bodies sort of intact…” she added. “Now, pick a wasp and good luck! I expect good news!”

  “Yes, COO!” they all shouted.

  Guess the other apprentice-ship is not joining, Nar thought with a wince, as Kur led them into the closest wasp.

  “Keep your helmets on, but take a breather everyone,” Kur said. “We’re nearly there, and we’re doing good.”

  Nar glanced at Viy, who sat with her head leaning against the wall. The spear woman had been the worst hit in their party, and he couldn’t help but remember her nightmares and outbursts back during the Climb. They had been eerily similar, even though this time Viy had been knocked flat, rather than lose it and run into the enemy, something he was guiltily happy for. He didn’t relish the thought of chasing her into that horde.

  But I wonder what happened, Nar thought, strapping in. I was fine, and so was Tuk, Rel, Cen and Mul. Gad got hit too, but not as badly as Kur, Jul and Viy, so this isn’t about who has the most [Aura]...

  He shook his head. Maybe he’d ask his master about it, afterwards, if the faculty themselves didn’t explain it to them first. Everything they did seemed to be meticulous and planned with absolute care and intent, and he doubted that they had just so happened to stumble upon a den of psychic aspected beasts… Something was definitely going on, but he was unlikely to discover what until everything was done.

  Alongside with why nobody told us about these mental attacks, he thought bitterly. Why did the Leadership and Aura classes get to hear about them? Were they supposed to take that as a hint to prepare?

  “We’re going!” a voice told them from the speakers above their heads, and this time no one came to check their straps before blasting off.

  Guess you either learn the first time, or you will definitely learn after the second…

  “This is going to be a short ride!” the voice said. “Get ready to jump!”

  They cast off without bothering to close the door, and within seconds, the guns vibrated underfoot.

  “Go! Go, go, go!” the voice said. “And good luck!”

  Nar unstrapped himself and once more he was the first one to the door. Outside, all he could see was dust and psaelis.

  “Ugh…” he said.

  I’m tired. And with that he jumped.

  The moment he did, the ship veered left and threw him off balance just as he was jumping out, and he landed on his left foot and stumbled to the side. Strong arms closed around him, and a sturdy chest kept him from landing helmet first in dead psaelis.

  “You alright?”

  “Yeah!” Nar said, straightening himself back up. “Thanks… Wait. Tun?”

  “That’s me.”

  The apprentice before him donned a golden, metallic looking armor, reminiscent of Kur’s bronze one, but where the party leader had looked impressive, Tun looked like an absolute monster, towering from his height, buffness, and shining armor.

  Damn… What are they doing in that Tanks Hall? He thought as both him and Row’s tank moved to help the rest of Nar’s party jump down. And he already has his affinity too. Wonder what it is…

  “Boss, I think they’re coming for us,” Lim said.

  “And they don’t sound happy!” Jaz added.

  “Into formation!” Row shouted. “Kur, how do you want to do this?”

  “Let’s just form a circle first,” Kur said, nodding towards the other parties. “Which way is the Den Boss?”

  “That way!” Jul said, pointing behind them, a beat faster than Jaz.

  “Right. Let’s face that way, then,” Kur said. “Once more into the fray together.”

  “We got to do what we got to do,” Tun pronounced. “But it’s good to fight alongside you guys again!”

  “Indeed,” Gad agreed.

  “Alright! Let’s form up and fight our way over,” Kur said. “Everyone’s okay on status, HP’s a little yellow but staminas are still looking good, so we can try and push a little harder this time around.”

  “And my party is still fresh-ish,” Row said. “If you want, you can support us, and we can do the heavy lifting for a while. You should save your strength for the Den Boss… Of course, we’ll need Cen though, and… Rel?”

  The archer in crimson shook her head. “Sorry, my… Special skill is not available right now.”

  “That’s alright!” Row said in a cheery tone. “Your arrows will be plenty. Besides, we needed some exercise anyways, didn’t we, party?”

  “We did?” Lim asked.

  “Yeah!” Jaz shouted. “Let’s get started, boss!”

  They quickly joined and formed up alongside the other fifteen parties, and Row and Kur exchanged tactics with the other party leaders. Meanwhile, Nar and the front line readied themselves for combat, even as they formed up in a loose wedge.

  Once again, Nar cycled his aura into his sword, but it didn’t feel as smooth anymore.

  I’m tiring out, he realized. 712 aura left…

  He now wished he had saved more, and pulled back a little, but those psychic beasts were tough, and there was no way to fight them without going all out from the get go. His HP was hanging steady at 184/300, which meant that he had either fought incredibly well against all of those beast leaders, or that his armor was doing its job, or that his aura cycling was helping him recover some HP faster. It was probably a mix of all three.

  Or maybe it's my sword, he thought, glancing down the length of his glowing blade.

  1.5 to 3% of damage dealt being reabsorbed back into him as HP was no small amount, considering the amount of damage he thought he was dishing out in that limitless battle. And without a healer, that was a pretty significant advantage that they had over the rest of the parties, with their non-upgraded weapons and normal gray looking weapons. So far, his sword’s hunger was proving itself useful.

  As for his stamina, it was a bit lower, standing at 160/310, but he was sure that it was more than enough to finish the battle. If he lived through it their foolhardy assault against the Den Boss, where the enemies numbers were guaranteed to be at their thickest.

  But I bet they choose the best parties for this, he thought, glancing between the incoming enemy and the apprentices surrounding them.

  “They’re coming!” Jaz warned.

  “Just hold them back for now!” Row shouted back.

  The psaelis surged forward while the party leaders still discussed, and the apprentices held their ground. Nar, who joined Row’s party at the front, met the enemy with a grunt, and once again, he got into the rhythm of mowing them down.

  “Are these guys even tougher?” Teb asked, fighting at his left side.

  “They are!” Nar shouted. “Must be because we're closer to the boss!”

  “Focus on what’s in front of you!” Row shouted, seemingly rejoining them. “We’ll get there when we get there! Come on! We’re pushing forward!”

  The fight dragged on, and Nar noticed that soon, the rest of his party was forced to join the fight as well, as everyone in that line dug deep to carve into the enemy line. And as luck would have it, they didn’t encounter as many of the psychic wielding psaelis, and the few that they did meet, were a lot weaker and smaller than the ones they had downed back in the frontlines.

  For each psaelis he demolished, another snarling mouth appeared behind it, and when he killed that one too, a fresh set of claws jumped up at his throat from right behind it, and he watched with concern as both his aura and stamina declined, even as his HP more or less held at the same level.

  Where is that Den Boss? We can’t keep going forever… Nar thought. The stronger buffed beasts were sapping more of his status than the previous ones had, and with no ending in sight, it was starting to be cause for alarm.

  “Jul, how far?” Kur asked, his thoughts probably aligned with Nar’s.

  “We’re close!” she replied. “I can hear it! Maybe another hundred and fifty feet!”

  “That close?” Kur shouted.

  “Cor, can you blast some of this dust away?” Row asked the caster.

  Cor raised her staff up, and Cen, on their side, mimicked her, ready to fire as well if need be, and double their dust clearing potential.

  “Don’t shoot too far!” Jaz said. “There’s people out there!”

  “Yes!” Jul said. “I can hear them… Singing?”

  “What?” both Lim and Tuk shouted.

  “Who in the Pile is out here singing?” Rel asked.

  “Someone is!” Jaz said.

  “I guess we’re about to find out,” Cor said, and her [Aura Projectiles] went flying into the dust. Seconds later the shock waves reached them, dispersing the dust. However, it was too thickly gathered to move completely.

  “Cen!” Kur shouted.

  Cen fired off her own skill, and the dust blew furious in their faces, and suddenly…

  “I can see!” Tuk shouted. “Thank the Crystal!”

  And by the Crystal, what a sight it was.

  “Damn…” Teb whispered. “What is that?”

  In front of them, slightly to their left, a massive carcass had been revealed, rising high above the gathered masses of psaelis. Here and there, amidst the corpses of the destroyed beasts, Nar spotted several other piles of debris, including dry and multi-coloured shapes that couldn’t be anything other than a chaotic array of broken bones and aethership parts.

  “Are those… Houses?” Jul asked.

  “Nests!” Kur said. “And look up top. There’s the Den Boss!”

  Nar glanced up in between strikes. My Crystal… That thing’s huge!

  The psaelis that stood atop the decaying carcass was easily three times as big as the biggest psaelis Nar had faced thus far, and its fur glowed a brilliant white in the sudden light that filtered through the dust clouds. Its one eye shone so strongly that when Nar glanced at it, he felt his legs weaken from under him.

  “Don’t look at its eye!” he shouted.

  “What the fuck! What was that?” Tuk said, his voice wavering. “I just looked at it for a second!”

  “It has to be a lot stronger than the others!” Kur shouted. “Can the ranged reach him?”

  “Not me!” Jaz said.

  However, both Rel and Lim, whose bows were longer than Jaz’s, lifted their weapons and took aim.

  “Ugh!” Lim said, his bow trembling in his hands. “I can’t even stare at it!”

  “Me neither!” Rel grunted.

  She released her red arrow, and Lim’s gray arrow followed after it, but both of them flew far off their mark.

  “We need to get closer!” Lim said, exchanging a glance with Rel. “Maybe then it’ll work?”

  “Won’t it just be worse?” Jaz asked.

  “Maybe!” Rel said. “But right now we're too far anyways!”

  “We’ll get you guys closer then!” Row said. “Come on people, just a bit further!”

  “Hang in there Viy,” Nar heard Kur say. “And keep your head down!”

  “Y-Yeah… I got this, don’t worry!”

  Nar glanced at the spear wielder. She was still in the fight, but just. The successive waves of mental attacks had done a number on her, but to her credit she was hanging in there, even if her spear fought without aura.

  Hang in there… Nar thought, facing back around.

  Other parties tried to shoot down the Den Boss, but they failed the same as Lim and Rel. Once in a while, Nar caught sight of a red arrow flying overhead, and hope whispered to him, but each time, the arrows always flew wide of their target.

  “It’s so hard to look at him!” Rel complained.

  “Keep trying! We’re getting closer!” Row said.

  Nar looked up and saw that she was right. The very light around them had taken the same sickly yellow beaming from the Den Boss’ eye, and the carcass upon which it stood, commanding its den, now loomed before them.

  “... march! For our brothers and sisters we march!”

  “What in the pile?” Tuk shouted.

  A blast of song suddenly burst from the shimmering dust clouds to their right, directly in front of the boss.