The Guild burst out from the woodlands and rushed across the fields before Candlekeep itself. What was once a pleasant collection of square farmland had been burned or withered to nothing but dry dirt.

  Wolf lead our Party, the bear blazing hot amber as his charge skill provided us with additional defenses.

  Leyla’s group took the left flank a little way behind. Their rogue had a skill to conceal their movements, making them harder to pinpoint.

  To our right were Fiona and her Party. Percius had covered them with a moving magic-resist dome while the fighter and Magnus buffed their movement speed and damage absorption.

  My heart was in my throat, already sick of running. We were out in the open, even if somewhat protected. Ahead of us, my demonic ace pulsed with the occasional [Detect Trap] scroll. I only had three of those, but it should at least stop us from running directly into something.

  One minute before we were in range.

  Our two other groups arced away from us slightly, intending to get to the other entrances. We forged straight ahead. The entrance along the main road—although barricaded—was the clearest route to getting inside the city. From the looks of it, this road led all the way through Candlekeep in a straight line. That made things simple enough.

  I had given the others the plain advice of to kill without hesitation and to go all out from the get go. There was no point holding back at this stage with everything on the line. Aside from the minor chance of possession or falling under the Lady in Red’s sway, I trusted the Guild to do what was necessary.

  My demonic ace reached the barricade, at the limits of how far I could send it. Two barrels of oil ejected out of it right before Ren whispered the elven word for fire. Her rifle cracked out a blazing bullet even as we ran, striking through the payload. A flash of amber blew away the wooden debris, setting everything alight.

  Three cards of purple light flickered around me, ready to be flung forward. Our approach now fully telegraphed, the first action of the defenders bloomed into the sky.

  Large bolts, pointed like arrows, flew high into the sky from the middle of the city. Bright green and made of fire, they arced over like a mortar to dive down into our three groups. Magical, as they looked to be tracking us slightly.

  The first of which came down toward Fiona’s group. Percius held up something in his hand as they ran, and his dome-like shield over the Party shimmered between blue and gold. The magical mortar struck them on the side, deflecting back into the air at an odd angle and dipping down into the ground behind them. It exploded in a plume of dark green gas, vibrating the earth.

  Second one was coming straight for us, but it exploded high in the air—my hell-bird blocking it from coming any further. Third was for Leyla’s group, but had overshot by a great deal as their movement speed increased with a short burst. The next volley flew up into the sky, and it looked as though we’d get to the city before there was time for a third.

  We had already solved this puzzle, however. Ren and I sent three birds out to intercept the giant arrows. As they exploded high over the city like fireworks, our first set of opponents appeared at the gates.

  They looked like wingless gargoyles. Eight feet tall hunched over, with long jagged faces and gray skin. A handful of them, perhaps. Before I had the chance to ready up my cards to attack, Wolf surged forward even faster, his paws leaving bright-hot prints across the stone road where he ran.

  Like a runaway train, he burst straight into the group of enemies. I was deafened briefly before a shockwave of sound woke my ears back up, bringing with it a flash of warmth. Dust billowed out from where the clash had taken place, and my eyebrows raised at the aftermath.

  The gargoyles had been incinerated—reduced to a fine mist of blood and ash. Wolf himself stood in one of his defensive stances, light running over his fur as he glared into the city. I didn’t have the time to wonder if that was part of his Guardian powers or not, as the rest of us caught up to him.

  We were now in Candlekeep. Everything steeped in crimson light, it was hard to pick out much detail at first. Over to the left, further into the west of the city, was one of the towers. To the east was the second light. Straight ahead, at the end of this long main road, was the keep itself with the third corrupting beacon.

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  The road had been barricaded as well. Almost wall to wall across the street, furniture, stone and metal debris, and overturned carts, all had been arranged into lines to make it difficult for anyone to waltz straight to the end. It was also sparsely defended with groups of random Monsters. Some of them with ranged weapons, but others just looked ready and willing to pounce with their claws once we got close enough.

  Rather ineffective when two of us could travel by the rooftops. No doubt trying to get ahead by dipping into the side streets would just waste time and have us getting tangled up in disadvantageous situations. I deserved to be in the limelight. Center stage.

  In saying that, Ren vanished to appear on the closest building to our left, immediately firing out a chained lightning shot at the first group of enemies.

  “If things go to shit, stick by Wolf and keep each other alive,” I told the pair behind me. They were capable, but too fragile to dance to the sort of danger Ren and I craved. After they returned a nod, I drew three more cards into my left hand.

  Hell-hound up beside Ren. He would be able to help detect anything sneaking up on her. To the right, two Fire Imps on top of the house there. A wry grin peaked at the corner of my mouth as I flicked out my magical cards forward.

  The first hundred or so feet of the road were a piece of cake to grind through. Wolf thrashed and burst through any terrain blocking our way. Between Ren and my Imps, any opponent hiding away was either severely weakened or dead by the time we could get to them. My cards finished off the stragglers—and even an ambush from a side street that Ren couldn’t get eyes on was quickly humbled.

  If anything, it made me anxious about when we’d see actual Players. Any Monster just didn’t have the power to do anything to us.

  [Percius: Within the walls, getting through the resistance.]

  [Percius: Monsters only.]

  [Urist: Same for us.]

  [Max: We are forging ahead. Keep me up to date.]

  [Max: Divert comms.]

  We had much further to travel, by about double, I reckoned. As the others were slower at getting things done, the hope was that they’d be able to disable their towers just as we arrived at the keep. If that wasn’t an important part of the puzzle… well, at least it kept everyone busy.

  “Can charge again,” Wolf grunted, planting his legs apart as bright light bloomed beneath his paws.

  “When ready,” I replied. At this rate, we’d get there in no time at all.

  Wolf didn’t need telling twice. As soon as I had given him the go ahead, he burst forward. Debris and Monsters alike were reduced to cinders, the blast-wave blowing back both dust and warmth our way. The System was keen to tell me that some of the shredded defenders were City Guards, level twenty. Clearly corrupted, and were we not overwhelmingly powerful, they’d be a worthy enough challenge. Or at least give us a slight reason to pause.

  As this brief thought crossed my mind, Wolf stopped in the air mid-bound. Frozen in time. From a side alleyway, a large barbarian-looking man burst out toward the bear, a greatsword held over his helmeted head that had a singular horn jutting from the top.

  Finally, some Players attempting to stop us.

  I switched places with my demonic ace beside Wolf, landing atop a chair to fire a drawn crossbow near point blank into the target. He blurred, dodging the bolt, but it was enough to delay the swing of his weapon. My mundane cards burst out from my belt, swirling around in front of me like a cloud of smoke. As my brain idly switched which ones were the purple magic kind, I closed my eyes.

  A line of magic drew away from the frozen bear. With a smile on my face, I opened my eyes again and sent three of my normal cards up to the rooftop where Ren was positioned. A little message she would understand. Not two short seconds later and her rifle went off, echoing across the city. A house several down on the left exploded, raining wood and stone across the main road.

  Wolf landed back on his feet, and I turned invisible.

  Before the barbarian could adjust, the bear lashed forward through my fading cloud of cards to strike at him. The first claw he blocked with the flat of his blade, but the second cut through his bare torso. Just as Wolf leaped forward to bite at the man, he vanished away with a teleport.

  One Player dead, and one injured.

  “Unfair,” Wolf complained, sniffing at the air where his opponent had just been standing.

  I faded back into view, just in time to see the house that the elf was perched upon explode. She was flung through the air, twisting and switching with her dove, but the bird hadn’t been in place to land her safely on the ground—just soften her fall. Instead, I caught her in my arms, something surely only possible due to the stat increasing potions.

  We turned back to face the building as the brickwork started to dissolve away as if it was covered in acid. Ren held her rifle up as a Monster unfurled from within the wreckage. Another eldritch abomination like we had faced previously. Hardened skin that seemed to be leaking whatever substance was melting the house away. A long, beak-like face, thirty feet up in the air. Long limbs that ended with tentacles instead of fingers. Standard fare.

  “Contact behind,” Quinn said from a little way back.

  I turned my gaze away from the towering creature to see that the gate was now swarming with Monsters brought in from afar. My prior guess about the potential ambush had been correct. Orcs and goblins, for the most part, each of them streaked with red to show their allegiance to the Crimson Shadow.

  “We’ll hold them back,” Tanya confirmed, her face stoic, “you focus the Monster.”

  “Trouble ahead, brother,” Wolf grunted.

  My gaze swiveled the other direction, as a large object had been positioned much further down the main road. The green light blooming within it was enough of a hint that this was the arrow-launcher that had tried to get us before.

  I smiled and put the elf back down to her feet.

  A little faster paced than I was used to, but the show was in full swing.