Deep in the Southern Wasteland the three commanders Therim Riverbell, Second Princess Oniarohl and Chieftain Ogruz stood on a hill, staring at the scene in front. A light breeze passed, tearing at their clothes, causing a rustling sound. A dark orange energy lingered in the sky, blocking most of the sunlight. The three commanders roamed their gaze over the vast army below them, towards the front, stopping on the massive fortress in the distance.
This fortress was called Gnemotrimn's Will in honour of the devil who led his armies out of hell during the first catastrophe. It stood majestically like a black mountain, intimidating everyone who dared to look at it. Gnemotrimn's Will was a behemoth. It couldn't be compared to the Ash River Fortress at the beginning of the campaign. It was teeming with beings of the chaos faction. There were no signs of retreat. Instead, the chaos faction dared the order faction to launch an attack. However many enemies came was how many they would kill.
Yet the impenetrable fortress still had a weakness. Its surroundings were a rocky plain. If the enemies could ignore the fortress and walk around it, they could meet with more reinforcements and didn't even need to fear being attacked from behind. But of course, the chaos faction had long since made preparations to prevent this.
In the centre of the fortress, at its most fortified core stood an enormous, square-shaped, black tower, its tip touching the sky. The tower constantly produced dark fog which flowed towards the surroundings, emitting an incredibly sinister air. The players could tell that even Therim appeared apprehensive of the fog.
The powerful guardian wore a solemn expression as he addressed his two vice commanders:
"Are all preparations in place?"
"Yes.", answered Oniarohl with her soothing voice.
"Same here.", grunted Ogruz.
"Good. Don't forget, we are not here to kill! As soon as the tower falls, we will retreat."
Both vice-commanders nodded. Therim was assured and finally gave the command to start the operation.
Oniarohl raised her sword. A sharp light flashed at its tip, serving as signal. Below, a unit mostly consisting of high elves and some humans approached one hundred tall, golden golems they had prepared earlier. If Serena were here, she would surely be glad to see that among those coordinating the high elves the three elderly Moon Archivists were present as well. They each approached one of the golems, gave some orders to those around them, and began creating incredibly complex magic circles.
One by one the various mages finished the magic circles and pressed them on the golems, which immediately roared to life under the consumption of a massive amount of mana. When all the golems were activated, they formed a subtle connection between them before beginning to advance. A light kindled around them, growing thicker with each step.
The golems walked ahead of the army. As soon as they stepped past a certain range, black arrows and magic blasts came from the fortress, heavily striking the formation of golems. However, when they touched the light, the dark projectiles were quickly weakened, and the residual energy was not enough to shake the golems.
After a few seconds the brilliant golems reached the area of black fog. Sizzling sounds rang through the air as the fog struggled but couldn't change its fate of being burned away like weed under a flamethrower.
"Soldiers! March!"
Finally, Therim's command came. The massive army began to advance, soon entering the area secured by the golden golems. Many soldiers were amazed by the power of the golems. One hundred of them could free enough space for the massive army to move comfortably, clearing a path towards the fortress.
Cyclone looked around and couldn't help but ask:
"With those golems, why don't we move straight through the fog?"
"The consumption is too high. You will see in a second."
Shortly after Liam answered, the golems showed a change. The light around them slowly dimmed. They positioned themselves in a square formation, enclosing the army between them, and entered a dormant state, guarding the area like silent golden statues. A bit of residual light surrounded them, just enough to keep the black fog at bay, but lacking the strength to open more space. Some players were still confused, wondering why the NPCs couldn't just recharge the golems.
These players simple had no knowledge about mana consumption. The golems used up so much mana that they couldn't run on the atmospheric mana alone. Instead they were fuelled by mana crystals, which contained condensed mana. However, these crystals were not cheap. The mana crystals the golems used just now could bankrupt a small kingdom. Only the combined operation of the entire order faction was worth it to waste so much power. At least the result was satisfactory.
Under the protection of the golden golems the army could advance towards the fortress. Instantly they became the focus of the enemy's attacks. All kinds of dark projectiles rained down on them. Even the large army found it difficult to cope. They sniped the projectiles in the air and defended themselves with various spells, but the first casualties arrived quickly. And yet the soldiers remained fearless.
In the centre of the order faction's army were more than twenty siege engines, tightly protected. They were the core of the plan this time. After getting close enough to the fortress the siege engines returned fire. There were simpler weapons like catapults, which were almost expendable, but also large staves attacking with precise beams of light, accurate and powerful.
For a while rumbling, explosions, groans, and wails overtook everything else, creating a cacophony of noises. Terrifying siege engines caused heavy damage on both sides. The players watched the spectacle with mixed emotions. However, soon their thoughts were directed elsewhere as the army reached close enough for the ranged classes to attack.
"Hahaha, no we have the high ground! Destroy them!"
"This fortress is impenetrable! The order faction will stop here!"
"F*ck those siege weapons, why are they all targeting this segment. Ah! Another boulder!"
The chaos faction players stood on the fortress's thick outer wall, looking down on the order faction like kings. Many scoffed, thinking the order faction's efforts were futile. Gnemotrimn's Will was one of the biggest fortresses in all of Crunaboul. What did the order faction hope to achieve by coming here? Even if they could breach the outer wall there were still two more walls protecting the core. What if the order faction hoped to destroy the tower? Well, good luck. The tower was protected by a barrier even the strongest guardians would have trouble penetrating. Thus, the chaos faction players were brimming with joy, farming points without any danger.
For a while the situation looked great for the chaos faction. Blocked by the tall wall, the order faction found it difficult to target their enemies. The situation was one-sided. The rate of casualties was at one to three. The order faction could only desperately defend themselves with all kinds of barriers of shield, taking a defensive position.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity the targeted segment of the outer wall crumbled under the relentless assault of the siege engines.
"Careful!"
"Draw back!"
"Haha, so what if the wall is breached? I dare them to enter. I will make sure they can never leave."
Despite the gap in the wall the chaos faction didn't panic. Many demons even licked their lips, waiting for the order faction to enter, walking into the trap. Every enemy daring to attack the inner wall would be caught between two walls, forced to endure attacks from the back and the front. It was practically suicide.
Everyone belonging to the order faction could see this as well. The players were not in a hurry. They stayed with the army, waiting until most of the outer wall would be destroyed. But at this moment…
[Current Task: Infiltrate Gnemotrimn's Will. Head to the core area, locate and destroy the four energy sources powering the barrier protecting the central tower. Failing to comply will be punished by a deduction of 300 points.]
Current level of completion: -
Current reward: - ]
"F*ck!"
"What is this?! Is Therim sending us to die?!"
"He's really treating us like cannon fodder!"
"How are we supposed to do that?!"
An uproar erupted among the players. They stared at Therim, cursing him for handing out such an unreasonable task. Players crossed their arms before the chest, taking a stance of 'I won't move a single finger for you'.
When Liam saw this, he let out a sigh. He recalled the time he was first confronted with this infamous task. Back then, the situation was not much different than now. This led to the order faction wasting quite some time, which made the entire war more difficult than it could have been.
"Guys, calm down. I don't think Therim would give us an unreasonable task. Perhaps we will get reinforcements from the army!"
Liam tried to convince some people, but his voice was not enough to break through the chaos. He only reached some of the people in his immediate surroundings. However, fortunately chats existed. Through them his words could spread further. People thought this point was reasonable and shared it with their friends. Others already had similar ideas even without Liam's reminder. Thus, about a thousand people could gradually be convinced. This was far from the entirety of the players, but it was enough to make an impact.