Solemn eyes stared in the direction of the mines as the river disappeared. A large part of the enemy army remained but at least they couldn't get on the walls again. Now the duel between the ranged fighters took priority.
Liam watched from above. He saw his guild members doing their best but after suffering many casualties the battle had entered a balance, which was terrible news for the guild.
They had no choice but to use another spell scroll. A vast blizzard engulfed the entire area outside the wall. Its damage was low but continuous. It was just enough to tip the scale in Dream Avenue's favor. With the help of the blizzard the mist dwarf priests died faster and soon the defenders gained the upper hand.
After a while the mist dwarves had lost almost all their ranged fighters. Even the officers were sniped by the ballistae. When casualties began to mount among the surviving melee fighters they finally decided to retreat. The eleventh wave ended.
As the situation quietened down the survivors looked around with heavy hearts.
"It feels somewhat empty here…"
"The comrades taking arms with us are disappearing one by one. Is this the tragedy of war?"
"Bro, don't get overly dramatic. Most of us still have revives."
"Honestly, I thought it would be worse. I didn't need a single revive throughout."
"Well, perhaps you should thank our healers for that."
While the players relaxed for a while, the core members counted the casualties again.
[Cyclone: We lost almost 500 players, 80 of them won't be revived. The situation among the NPCs is similar, percentage wise. They are down to 1800 soldiers.]
[Balm: The wall took almost no damage. We will even be able to repair some of the damage it received during the last wave.]
[Quickstep: So, we will be starting the twelfth wave with a little more than half strength.]
[Silver Blade: Doesn't sound that bad. But I'm sure Mirage will tell us why we should be cautious…]
[Bleary Mirage: You guessed right. The twelfth wave will be way more difficult than everything before that. All the enemy types we've seen so far will reappear. And on top of that the boss can't be underestimated.]
[Silver Blade: See. Told you.]
[Bleary Mirage: No time to joke guys. Prepare everything. Use up all resources. This won't be pretty.]
After the short discussion everyone got to work. Cyclone and Balm made sure to say some supporting words whenever they came across some exhausted or anxious players. There were also others among the guild members who just had the perfect personality for such a moment.
Glorious Hotpot for example remained confident throughout, her mood infecting those around her. The players slowly recovered from their fatigue while repairing the wall for one last wave.
However, the morale among the NPCs was at a terrible low. For them this war was a catastrophe, and their comrades wouldn't revive like the players. The higher-ups did their best to keep the army's mood up, but it was not an easy task.
While everyone was busy going between the town and the wall, Liam also sneaked back. He took Serena away for a second. The siblings discussed something before Liam returned to the wall.
Slowly the preparation time reached its end. Balm put away her alchemy cauldron, wiping the sweat from her forehead before speaking in a loud voice:
"Please listen for a moment. You have all worked hard! I and all the other members relying on your potions couldn't do without you. Let me thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
The alchemists were taken aback for a moment. Smiles formed on their exhausted faces. When they were assigned their jobs at the beginning of the war, some felt that they would be invisible. However, thanks to C keeping tabs on everyone's contributions, the names of the alchemists also enter the eyes of the players.
Thus, the alchemists and other profession players were actually rather happy. They didn't need to enter the heat of the battle and could still contribute. Flirting Fairy, the only intermediate alchemist, revealed a gentle smile as she applauded lightly.
"You are being too generous guild leader. Everyone is doing their best. It should be us who thank you for being such a great leader. And you even look so beautiful while doing so."
"Hehe… Well, you deserve every bit of praise. I know you have worked hard. But I have to ask you one more time to give it your all for the guild. Please, follow me to the wall. We can use every bit of strength right now. Even if you only throw a single spear it will matter!"
Balm held her breath looking at the three dozen alchemists. This was a test of their sense of belonging to the guild. Most people chose to be profession players because they either had a talent for it or because they didn't enjoy fighting.
And indeed, Balm could see the rejection in some eyes. But just the fact that no one was speaking up was already better than she had imagined. Again, it was Flirting Fairy who took the first step.
"Beautiful guild leader. Although we as alchemists usually don't enjoy fighting, we are also part of Dream Avenue! Of course, we won't shirk our responsibilities during such an important moment!"
Balm's eyes lit up as she looked at the intermediate alchemists with thankfulness. Thanks to her words the other alchemists felt embarrassed to reject. They accepted one by one although some of their smiles seemed a bit strained.
Balm thanked them a few times, promising to make it up to the alchemists. She turned around and led them towards the wall.
Similar scenes happened with the blacksmiths and the chefs. Although the NPCs stayed behind, the players had all been convinced to take up arms.
When the soldiers on the wall saw those close to a hundred profession players appear they spontaneously began to clap. Most people hadn't thought of calling them to fight and were pleasantly surprised. Praises came from all sides. Many felt their determination surge thinking that if even the profession players came to fight, how could the warriors not give it their all?
This move not only added new fighters to the army but also raised morale by multiple levels. As the twelfth wave was approaching everyone was determined to make it through. Chants of 'For Dream Avenue!' spread on the walls.
And finally, the timer hit zero. A cold breeze flowed through the battlefield, pushing grey mist towards the walls. Rumbling sounds came from the mines.
Suddenly everything fell silent. A figure slowly came out of the mines. It was a mist dwarf clad in spiky black armor. He wore a black helmet with a red feather on top, leaving only his face exposed. The dwarf slowly floated through the air, studying the defending army with profound, indifferent eyes. He stopped above the mines, silently waiting there.
A red dome kept close to the newcomer's body. Surprisingly the number above it was a zero, which indicated that it was impossible to damage the mist dwarf. The player swiftly figured out that this number was bound to change over the course of the battle. However, since the boss already showed himself, it gave the players the opportunity for a swift [Inspect].
[Missionary of the mist Entragur
Rank: Boss
Level: 47
HP: 55.000/55.000]
Gasps could be heard from all sides. Many were surprised by the boss's level, which was so far above the regular troops. But information spread from Liam that the boss always had the level of the highest guild member.
Currently this was Liam, who was not far from level 48. Fortune and Quickstep were at a similar level while the rest of Hotpot had just reached level 47.
While the boss engaged in a staring contest with the army, more enemies slowly came out of the mines. There were lizards, lizard riders, and giant lizards. Between them weaved nimble mist dwarves and at the back walked multiple groups of orcs. Even orc bosses appeared although they had no red dome to protect them.
Watching so many enemies streaming out of the mines, the player's stomachs sank. They prayed that it would end but the enemies just kept going. Finally, as no less than two thousand troops had gathered, the floating Entragur silently pointed towards the front and the army began to march.
The players were reminded of the beginning of the war as they watched the wall of lizards. Immediately the first ballista bolts arrived. They focused on the giant lizards, which even stuck out in such a dense crowd.
But as the first hits landed, movement also came into the mist army. The giant lizards began to roar, causing all their brethren to go on a rampage. The entire army sped up. Spells, arrows, and spears began to rain down from above. Soon the lizards came into the range of the traps. But even as the floor disappeared below their feet, more lizards pushed from behind. At the cost of a couple hundred lives the army reached the wall.