EV B2 Chapter 18:

  As we crashed into the sandy shore, I stood perfectly balanced on the dragon-headed prow of the ship. The lurching momentum of our sudden stop jolted the vessel, sending many people stumbling. My footing, however, was steady. I leaped at just the right moment, carrying our forward momentum as I flung myself into the sand.

  I could see now why the greater party size had come here with a full five members. Apparently, taking a monastery had been too easy, and the challenge had adjusted itself to the increased numbers. It made sense, though I hadn't fully expected it to work this way. It was not in the exact way it had been, assuming my assumptions were correct. But assumptions could be dangerous.

  I tucked into a quick roll, activating my skills as I hit the ground. Flashing forward, I let the illusion power I'd gained from becoming Loki's champion express itself. Several copies of me darted in different directions, charging toward the soldiers already arrayed on the beach to repel us. This was where things got tricky.

  We didn't have the luxury of attacking a castle immediately. No, it was worse. The enemy was already lined up, ready to repel us as we disembarked. That made this situation far more difficult than most would expect. They were using shield wall tactics—a thin line of interlocked shields braced against us. Behind them stood archers, their arrows already whistling through the air.

  My copies and I slammed into the shield wall, not with brute force but with just enough impact to make the soldiers flinch and brace for a nonexistent strike. As the illusions exploded around them, I appeared in the center of their formation. Kicking the center shield, I sent the man holding it stumbling backward, shattering their formation. I boosted myself with my constitution, shouldering another shield-bearer aside and twisted, slipping between a thrust and a slash.

  The pikemen behind the shield wall tried to stab at me, but their attacks were too predictable. I batted aside their weapons and leaped over their heads, twisting midair as I cut down several men with a slash of my sword. The hole I left in the shield wall was a perfect opening for my allies, who were still struggling to disembark from the ships under the hail of arrows.

  In the space of a few seconds, I had cleared the front line and was closing in on the archers, who were preparing a third volley. There were maybe fifty of them, but some noticed me and shouted in alarm. A portion of them turned their arrows on me, firing point-blank. My incredible stats, combined with the confusion created by my "Dance of the Jester," helped me avoid most of the projectiles. However, one grazed my upper left arm.

  The disorganized volley lost much of its effectiveness as some arrows went toward me while others continued raining down on the ships. Worse for them, a few archers misfired and hit their own front lines, the shield wall receiving a peppering of arrows into their backs. The chaos further broke the enemy's formation just as my allies were leaping off the boats. They weren't slow, but I was much faster. I had already broken the center of the enemy's formation, and my allies capitalized on the gap to form their own wedge, splitting the enemy lines even further.

  All I had to do now was stop the archers from whittling us down further. My presence in the backline alone was helping, but it wouldn't be enough on its own. Stepping forward, I flashed again, spinning low and weaving through the archers like a specter. With a hatchet in one hand and a sword in the other, I struck at weak points—throats, arms, legs—anything that would incapacitate them quickly.

  When necessary, I used my feet or elbows to disarm or knock down anyone who got too close. These men were mortal, and they simply weren't a challenge for me anymore. Within a minute, I had cut through the archers and stood at the rear of their lines, blocking the path to the stairs that led up to the castle.

  I was still outside the range of the castle's archers, thankfully, but I could feel their eyes on me from the parapets. Alone in the open, I stood between the remaining defenders and their only path of retreat. My allies were now routing the enemy, pushing them toward me like a tide crashing against a rock.

  Some of the defenders turned to run, but they halted in their tracks when they saw me standing in their way. Sand kicked up around their feet as they skidded to a stop, their expressions spoke only of desperation. I hesitated for only a second.This was just a simulation, but it still raised an uncomfortable question: What did this say about me? Would I really act any differently if this were real? If I truly needed to take this castle, would my actions change?

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Probably not.

  I wasn't sure if that was a bad thing, but it was a necessity. So, I stood firm. Jorg, Astrid, and the other two members of our party had joined up with the raiders and were driving the remaining defenders toward me. I became the anvil to their hammer. The enemy broke against us, scattering in disarray.

  The fight dragged on longer than it should have. Battles like this could end quickly or stretch out, depending on the type of engagement. This one leaned toward the latter, but by the time it was over, the sand was stained with the aftermath.

  Usually, in a situation like this, the defending side would have broken and fled within moments of first contact. But we didn't let them. Instead, we pinned them down, forcing them to fight harder than they would have otherwise. It cost them, though—it meant 200 fewer defenders on the walls when we eventually had to take the castle. And I wouldn't let them take many of us down in return.

  After regrouping, we turned our attention to the castle looming above us. The wounded were sent back to the ships, and I quickly assessed our numbers. We still had enough to press forward, but we hadn't yet stepped into the range of their defenses. The next phase wouldn't be easy. We'd have to ascend the stairs under a hail of arrows, breakthrough barred gates, or scale 30-foot-high walls. None of it was impossible—honestly, it would be easy for me—but I had to consider whether I wanted to do this alone.

  Looking over our raiding party, I could see they weren't in terrible shape, but they were certainly worn. Jorg looked tired but unscathed. Astrid was untouched, though her expression made it clear she wasn't happy with how things were going. The other two members of our party bore unnecessary cuts and bruises, and it was obvious they weren't in the best condition.

  I turned to them. "Do you want the levels from this fight or just the completion?" I asked.

  Jorg shrugged. "I think the levels, if I can… if you don't mind?"

  The other two shook their heads, making it clear they only cared about the completion. I couldn't blame them for that; they were in no condition to keep pushing their limits.

  Astrid, however, glared at me. "I'm not letting you do this by yourself," she said firmly.

  I gave her a half-smile. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind," I lied.

  Her glare deepened, seeing straight through me, but I just kept smiling.

  "Okay, so I guess we need a plan, then," I said, steering the conversation forward.

  It didn't take long to come up with something. The plan wasn't all that different from what I expected. Astrid and I would scale the castle walls from the backside while the raiders kept the defenders' attention focused on the front.

  As everyone else prepared to charge the stairs, Astrid and I slipped away, running down the beach to a point about half a mile from the castle. The cliffs here were steep but climbable, and it offered us a less-guarded entry. As we approached, we found a wide, clear-cut swath of trees surrounding the castle, ensuring that no one could get close without being noticed. The back, however, was much less fortified than the front.

  I glanced at Astrid. "How about you cover me? Pick off anyone who notices me getting close. I'll get up on the wall in a few moments, and then you can follow while I either hold the wall or pretend to be on duty," I suggested.

  She shrugged, unslinging her bow from her shoulder. "Sure," she said. One of her arrows began to glow faintly as she charged some sort of ability. I didn't ask what it was.

  As I dashed toward the wall, an arrow whistled over my head. The sentry who had spotted me slumped forward, gurgling. Astrid's shot had been lethal, silencing him instantly. It wasn't exactly stealthy, but speed was more important than subtlety at this point. The shouting from the front of the castle continued to draw most of the defenders' attention. The only sound from the back was the soft thud of the sentry's body landing in a damp patch of sod. No one noticed.

  I was halfway up the wall when Astrid took out several more sentries. By the time the first shout of alarm went up, I was nearly at the top. This castle wasn't large enough to absorb attacks from multiple angles without throwing the defenders into disarray. The guards were paying for that now.

  As I hauled myself onto the wall, I could see only a few sentries nearby scrambling to respond. None of the neighboring posts had sent reinforcements yet, and I doubted they would get here in time to stop me. Holding my position, I drew my weapons and waved for Astrid to follow.

  She sprinted across the open field of clear-cut trees, her speed impressive, even if it couldn't quite match mine. She moved like a predator, swift and silent, as alarms began to echo through the castle.

  Bracing myself, I turned to face the guards who had finally noticed me. They were running toward my position, weapons drawn. This wasn't going to be much of a challenge. Combat wasn't where I would fail. Not anymore.

  Up on the wall now, I was out of stealth and fully exposed. I wasn't going to sneak down to the gate to let the others in—not yet, at least. Still, I doubted this would slow me down for long. The challenge here wasn't the fighting. No, by now, I knew that wasn't the hardest part.