𝒏𝚘𝑽𝑬𝓵𝗇ℯxt.𝑐𝑜𝔪

After what seemed like a very long time, Viking finally said, “Let’s wait until the Liguritudum main army is two days away.”

“This means you will be going with my suggestion?” Dragonmasta said with excitement.

“Send a scout to tail that army. Make sure they are truly away,” Viking said.

“Right away, boss!” Dragonmasta went and carried out the order. Two ranger-based class players with rare-grade steed were soon riding away chasing the Liguritudum army.

“Are we truly going to attack Khulgrun?” Genesis asked.

“Dragon was right. This is a good chance for us to reap war contribution points,” Viking said. “That Jeanny had led her force around engaging the enemy while we are only tasked to sit here and do nothing. If the Liguritudum army decided to attack this fort, then we would get something. But they had decided otherwise. I don’t think we will get many war contribution points just by standing here, do you?”

Genesis didn’t refute the fact.

“So, I assume we are not calling Jeanny’s force to join us in taking Khulgrun?” Kenny Boy asked.

“No,” Viking replied. “Let them go and hinder the enemy their way. We will do it our way.”

“I still don’t like this plan,” HeroV said.

*

After almost two days had passed, the Licth Squad opened the fort’s door and almost the entire army rushed out. They only left a few players to operate the gate for when they were back later.

They rode directly to Khulgrun and under the cover of night. If possible, they wanted to sneak a few players into the city to create havoc before they proceeded with a frontal assault on the city gate. Some of their rogue-based players had the grappling hook skill. They should be able to climb the city wall under darkness.

After almost three hours of riding, Viking received a message. The message was from the few players left behind at Num Maldur Fort.

“What…?!” He yelled after receiving the message.

Seeing their leader’s tense expression, Genesis issued the order to stop the march. The whole army ground to a halt.

“What’s wrong?” Genesis asked Viking.

“The… The Liguritudum main army… They are attacking Num Maldur Fort right now…,” Viking answered.

“What?! How can that be? They are two days away!” Dragonmasta exclaimed. After a few seconds, he added, “I just checked with the scouts tailing the main army. They still have the army in their sight.”

“Then are you saying the players in the fort sent me a fake message to toy with me?!” Viking shouted.

“No… I just… I don’t understand…,” Dragonmasta was speechless.

“We have been had…,” Genesis sighed.

“Uh… Should we still go to Khulgrun?” Kenny Boy asked.

“If they are already in front of the fort, they can send an army at us. Although I think we can take down Khulgrun fast, the enemy reinforcement might have arrived before we can enter the city.”

“Then… Should we rush back to Num Maldur? Maybe we can still prevent the enemy from taking it?” Kenny Boy asked again.

Genesis didn’t answer this time. He thought that was pointless. Their position at this moment was outside. The Liguritudum army would be in between them and the fort. They could harass the enemy from the back but they won’t be able to do anything to contribute to the fort’s defense.

He turned to Viking for a decision.

Viking was silent. His face had an ugly scowl.

*

At Num Maldur Fort, its gate was currently being hit repeatedly by a dragon-head battering ram. It was a guild’s siege tool that Master had used. The metal end with the shape of the dragon head slammed into the gate and produced high damage with each ram.

Around it were defensive soldiers who cast spells to protect against the attack from the few players above the wall.

The players inside the wall tried using the defensive weapons within the fort but with so few operating them, they were not effective against such a large army.

Master could have flown up and made all this go easier but he couldn’t. This was because one of the enchantments on Num Maldur Fort was the no-flying zone. No one could fly past or up into the wall. That’s why this pass was such an ideal defensive stronghold as long as it had enough manpower.

Unfortunately, it did not.

The gate was soon destroyed and the Liguritudum army poured in. The players inside were quickly slaughtered. The Num Maldur Pass was now theirs.

Master and Linda were up on the walls while the army organized themselves to go through the pass. They would be leaving some troops here to secure the supply line coming through Khulgrun.

“What about the player force that was originally guarding this pass?” Master asked Linda.

“I have sent a 500,000-strong army to deal with them. If they proceed with attacking Khulgrun, they will be annihilated. If they are smart, they will scatter.”

“What about the decoy army?”

“They had turned back and were on their way here. Once they arrived, we could proceed toward Balgadur.”

Because the Liguritudum army was so huge, the formation stretched out into a very long line. The troops that Dragonmasta’s scouts were following were just the rear of this long line formation. While they were watching this rear, the front part of the army made their way into the forest opposite the mountain range.

The majority of the army hid inside that forest while the troops at the rear continued onward following the road. Dragonmasta’s scouts happily tailed behind this rear unaware that they had passed the army they should be keeping track of.

This hiding army waited. Linda planned to wait no more than two days. If the enemy didn’t take the bait, they would lose at most two days. But if the enemy did, they would save more days than the ones they lost for waiting. Taking the roundabout way added an extra four to five days to their travel.

Linda thought the enemy would most likely take the bait. She knew the guild that was assigned to defend the pass. She had studied their past. The Licth Squad used to be an independent team. As an independent team, they had less consideration compared to a formal guild and were more prone to taking risky jobs. Additionally, all five original members of the Licth Squad were brave mother*ckers who enjoyed chasing rewards.

Luckily, the Licth Squad didn’t disappoint. They took the bait just as it was near Linda’s appointed time frame.

By taking this pass, it also meant a shorter supply line for the Liguritudum army. Hence, fewer troops had to be left behind to guard the supply line. From this pass to Balgadur, it was only around three more days of travel.

“Turn this pass into our main base in this country,” Master commanded. “This will be where we piled most of our supplies before bringing them to the front line. Leave 100,000 troops here to guard this pass.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Linda replied.

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