Cyclone and Balm glanced at each other, noticing the worry in the other's eyes. Such a solemn warning from Liam should definitely be taken seriously. And yet Earthquake appeared excited, welcoming the charge of the bulls. The guild leaders discussed for a moment before they decided to provide some assistance.
Earthquake stood stable like a rock. He was surrounded by brave warriors, some of whom he had known for years. They all stared at the breached wall and the thousands of enemies behind it. There was a long corridor in the army. And at the very end were the bull-riding mercenaries, charging forward with unstoppable momentum, determined to destroy everything in their wake.
"Brothers! I won't say much! Just know that our time to shine has come! You don't want to stand in the shadow of the mages, do you?!"
"NO!"
"Haha! We are warriors! We face the enemies head on! Get your shields and weapons ready! And don't you dare let these ugly orcs break through!"
Shouts came from all sides as the warriors bolstered their courage. Between players and NPCs Earthquake stood at the forefront of about 2500 warriors. They were arranged in a half-circle around the breach in the wall. It was their job to make it as costly as possible for the enemy army to advance even one inch. But the bull-riding mercenaries were a sharp spear aimed at the centre, aiming to rip through the defence as if it was a piece of paper.
Both sides prepared their power. While the orcs charged like a boulder rolling down the mountain, getting faster and faster, creating a cloud of dust behind them, the defending alliance also made their moves. The less than one hundred players at the centre, who were bound to clash with the orcs, received help from all sides. Shields were stacked on them, and their stats were boosted. Stone armours, barrier, and thorn shields engulfed them. Immortal Boulder and Earthquake stood together, sharing the weight of a rock shield, looking like a small mountain.
And yet this was not everything. A massive magic circle formed in the sky. A thin film of water, like a curtain of soft silk, spread over the warriors and some of the closer mages. Everyone felt invigorated. Their stats were improved by a large margin. While the players of Nest of Flames and Force of Nature were amazed by the potent buff, Dream Avenue's members recognized the spell cast by Lekraxc.
Watching from the distance, Shorty kept an indifferent expression yet inside he was extremely confident. Only as Dream Avenue revealed this large-scale buff did he feel some pressure. Suddenly the difference created by his earlier spell was equalled again.
However, this was actually a disadvantage for Galaxy as Dream Avenue still had the wall to support their mages and on top of that their spell would last longer as it was casted so much later. Shorty realized that Galaxy was on a timer. If they couldn't quickly conquer one or two cores, the situation would become dire. The charge of the orcs became all the more important!
"Don't disappoint me…"
As the commander murmured to himself, the orcs had finally reached the wall. Their bulls had red eyes, storing an immense amount of energy in their bodies. From a single rock they had turned into a landslide. The world shook with each of their steps. Even their allies carefully distanced themselves. The bulls knew nothing else but to charge, charge, and charge!
The orcs crossed the wall and officially entered Greypine Town. In front of them stood an army of warriors, each wearing solemn faces, protected by hundreds of shields. If the orcs were a raging river, then the warriors were a sturdy dam, built to contain the water.
"Reaaadyy! HOOOLD!
Earthquake shouted with all his might as the two sides finally clashed. Two mountains collided. The raging bulls swung their horns left and right, unleashing all the power they stored up throughout the charge. Insane damage numbers flew all around.
[-25.233!]
[-26.813!]
[-32.612!]
A few of the weaker warriors died on the spot. Others, like Earthquake and Immortal Boulder were determined not to retreat an inch. But even they suffered from the avalanche. If it weren't for the various preparations, Earthquake might not have survived the first clash. After all, while he was a warrior in heavy armor, he was not a tank like Immortal Boulder, whose equipment had various damage-reducing effects.
No, Earthquake's forte was still in the offensive. He let out a thundering shout and spun around, focusing his eyes on the three orcs who had made it past him, wreaking havoc among the defence. He pointed his great sword brimming with power at his enemies.
"I will show you the power of a real orc!"
Earthquake's eyes were bloodshot. He unleashed his ultimate skill. The tall, reddish phantom of a majestic orc emitting a natural heroism emerged behind his back, arrogantly overlooking the battlefield. The orc phantom let out a snort and took a step forward, overlapping with Earthquake's body. Suddenly all his stats were vastly improved. His muscles bulged, veins wiggling like snakes. Scorched breath escaped his mouth. His STR and max HP increased by a large margin, even more than the rest of his stats.
An excited grin formed on Earthquake's face. He took a step forward and swung his great sword, unleashing an arc of red energy with slammed into the backs of two enemies.
[-615!]
[-683!]
The damage might not seem like much but against the heavily armoured bull-riders it was about ten times as powerful as the other warriors around.
"Brothers! Don't falter!"
The tallest of the bull-riding orcs waved his enormous axe in a wide arc, animating his brothers. He never expected that the situation would be so difficult for them. After such a perfect charge the orcs should have been able to break through the defence in one blow, their enemies trampled under the hooves of their mounts like feeble weeds. Yet instead, it was as if they entered a field of dense thorny vines which stuck to their armours, making each step extremely strenuous.
The tall orc had made it about halfway through the wall of soldiers before the energy from the charge was used up and his advancement came to a crawl. Looking back, they had indeed killed about thirty enemies, driving a wedge into the defensive line. Their job could barely be considered accomplished by half. But now that they were stuck it was their turn to endure attacks from all sides, struggling for each little bit of ground gained.
Observing from the distance, Shorty balled his fists. The charge was way less effective than he had hoped. His plan was to puncture a hole in the defence and have the rest of the army immediately follow. But now it seemed they could only opt for a direct confrontation. He had no choice but to give the order:
"All troops! Advance! Conquer Greypine Town!"
A rumble erupted as the order was given. The players shouted excitedly. They had been waiting for this moment. Instantly the army was like an ocean passing through a narrow gap, streaming into the town. They formed a half-circle and confronted their enemies head-on, concentrating their strongest forces towards the centre.
Callida watched everything calmly. The two frontlines clashed, and a competition of pure strength erupted. Callida's attention was focused on the centre of the battle. Not because she worried for her husband, but because now that the enemy army attacked in full force, Dream Avenue had less strength to spare for the bull riders. She was certain that it was only a matter of time until they managed to break through.
With limited time, Callida had to make preparations. Right now, Dream Avenue had one big advantage. They still had a lot of mages on the walls, who could freely attack the back of the enemy army. As long as the battle happened close to the wall, the mages had to make use of their advantage, bombarding the enemies with all their might.
In the meantime, Callida also carefully prepared elsewhere. As Galaxy focused their attack at the centre of the defence line, the flanks were under less pressure. Callida retrieved some troops from the flanks and formed new teams, which distanced themselves from the walls and instead moved towards the cores, creating a pre-emptive protection there.
Galaxy's players didn't know about these movements. They fought excitedly, feeling as if victory was so close. Earthquake and Immortal Boulder were still standing but the players around them kept falling one by one. The bull riders gained more ground at the cost of half their men. But ever so slowly they broke through the defence. The orc leader could already see the empty streets. His ferocious axe moved left and right, pushing the enemies back with enormous power.
Behind the leader followed the other orcs, supported by the enormous pressure brought by the advancing army. They were so close to success...
"Hold! Hold! Almost!"