Flames erupted as Liam ordered the players to empty half of the cauldrons containing hot pitch on the heads of their enemies. Immediately the pressure was alleviated greatly. The defenders kept up their attacks, killing the various enemies one by one.
But there weren't only lizards among the attackers. Nimble mist dwarves climbed the walls, forcing the players to face them head on. They once again threw bottles of poison, but the army didn't fall for the same trick twice. The poison only reached a few people, not doing too much damage.
After a few minutes the first giant lizards began to fall, and the situation was under control. It was then that new enemies emerged from the mines. Tall ogres showed their ugly heads dripping with disgusting liquid. Additionally, there were more lizards escorting five battering rams.
"That's too much!"
"Damn, more ogres!"
"We need more damage!"
The players stared at the new group of enemies, feeling their chests tighten. The number of enemies started to become overwhelming.
Liam immediately redirected his aim, attempting to take out the ogres but to his annoyance the lizards moved and protected the ogres with their bodies. Everyone instantly realized that there must be a mist dwarf commanding the lizards. Liam wasted almost a minute spotting it and taking it down. During that time the new group of enemies had already started marching towards the walls.
Suddenly the missionary in the sky waved his hands. The mist began to surge, giving more cover to the advancing enemies. As they got closer to the wall, arrows were suddenly fired from within the mist, surprising the defending army.
[Cyclone: We're under too much pressure!]
[Bleary Mirage: I agree. Use dance of the devil!]
[Cyclone: Finally!]
Cyclone's eyes lit up. She took out a pitch-black scroll from her inventory. With its appearance a strange music suddenly sounded out covering the tower, like the tempting song of a siren. Cyclone got goosebumps all over her body. She didn't delay and instantly activated the scroll.
There was not much space left between the first and second group of enemies. But now a large, black magic circle suddenly appeared on the ground in front of one of the ogres. A cold breeze spread and ghostly music pierced everyone's ears.
A moment later figures started to appear within the magic circle. They were indistinct, dark shadows with long arms and sharp claws. They instantly spread out, attacking blindly in all directions.
Although there were only 50 shadows, they were a nightmare for the dwarves as they were immune to physical damage. With no priests on the battlefield the only way to damage the shadows was the poison coming from the ogres.
For a while the mist army was slowed down greatly as the shadows wreaked havoc. Even one battering ram got destroyed and two ogres fell. It was a pity that Cyclone couldn't control the shadows after summoning them. This was basically their only disadvantage.
Thanks to the usage of the spell scroll the defenders could focus on the siege weapons, taking down as many as possible. But the two groups of enemies still eventually managed to close the distance between them. The ogres and battering rams made their way through the crowd, coming dangerously close to the wall.
Without hesitation Liam ordered the rest of the hot pitch to be used. The ensuing flames bought the army even more time.
Working together with the dark shadows they caused the mist army heavy casualties. But eventually three ogres and two battering rams survived long enough to reach the wall.
The entire structure quacked and groaned as frightening attacks landed on it. Two of the ogres delivered two hits to the wall, the third four hits, before they were taken down. And the battering rams both got out three strikes. In a short time, the wall took a combined total of more than 12 million points of damage. If all of it were focused on a single segment the wall would have been breached!
Just as sighs of relief came from the players, they saw new enemies appear in the distance. This time it was a disciplined army, similar to the one which attacked during the eleventh wave. The mist dwarves saluted to the missionary floating in the sky before fearlessly marching towards the wall.
The danger kept increasing as the players were not able to take out one group of enemies before the next one arrived. Below the wall was a horde of lizards and orcs constantly striking the walls. A single attack wouldn't be too dangerous, but the high numbers posed a threat to the wall.
And yet with the arrival of the new enemies the players had to focus on those. The priests had to be taken down as fast as possible. Cyclone didn't hesitate to summon Lekraxc's spell to cause chaos among the orderly dwarves by punching them with giant water fists.
Just as the last fist fell, Liam noticed a strange movement in the mana. Since experiencing the same sensation earlier, he had always remained vigilant. Now it was obvious that the dwarves were in the process of building another cannon.
Liam immediately informed Fortune, who used their own magic cannon to deliver an orbital strike deep into the mountains. The enemy cannon was destroyed but the overall situation was still not much better.
"Right, we have that cannon!"
"Fortune, please bomb those dwarves into oblivion!"
"Do it!"
The players sounded anxious as voices rose demanding the use of the cannon against the dwarves. Cyclone informed Liam that their side began to see rising casualties. They had already lost 300 NPCs and 100 players. As long as the situation continued, the scale would tip towards the enemies.
However, Liam gritted his teeth and didn't order a cannon strike. The priests were no priority target. The players persevered but their morale took a hit. There were just too many enemies.
There was not much change for a few minutes. Both sides suffered casualties, and the players were mostly remaining on the defense. But when it looked like the mist army was gradually thinning out, a new group appeared.
It were more dwarves marching in orderly rows and pushing mist basins in front of the army. The players sighed in frustration, some even feeling hints of despair. Only Liam felt relief. Since they didn't have Lekraxc's buffing spell available, he was focused on not allowing the enemies on top of the walls. Thus, it was important to destroy the mist basins.
Liam still remained patient until the newest group of enemies had joined up with the group in front. Finally, he gave the order everyone had been hoping for.
[Bleary Mirage: Fortune, obliterate them!]
[Fortune: Yes!]
Fortune hurriedly jumped towards the magic cannon, placing her hand on the crystals. The others on top of the tower noticed her actions and immediately spread the good news. However, this was unnecessary as a moment later everyone saw the thick ray of orange light shoot into the sky.
All eyes were focused on the battlefield. The enemies seemingly noticed something as unrest spread among them. They raised their heads with fear in their eyes.
A ray of light broke through the clouds like a shooting star, crashing into the mist army. A terrible explosion rocked the world. Rays of light shot in all directions like laser beams.
"AH!"
"Healer, healer!"
"Officer!"
"Don't!"
Incoherent screams echoed through the battlefield causing even the players some dread upon watching. So far, the magical cannon had only been used in a location with few people, focusing on the weapons being constructed. Now that the strike landed in the middle of a dense army, it showed a way more brutal result.
A scene of devastation was left behind. A large hole had been ripped into the army's formation. The ground was permeated with cracks, still smoldering. Only two of the mist basins had survived with barely any HP left. The single shot had obliterated about a fourth of the attacking army, a large part of that being the troublesome priests.
[Bleary Mirage: Don't stare! Attack before they regroup!]
Bleary Mirage had to urge everyone up as the players stared ahead with dumbfounded expressions. Only with his command did they snap back to reality.
For a few seconds the army got in free attacks with no retaliation. Focusing on the enemies hurt from the magical cannon's strike, they caused even more casualties in a short time.
Finally, the Missionary still floating above the mines let out a cold snort which struck his soldiers like a hammer. They shook off their dizziness and regrouped. The battle went on for another round. But now the defending army clearly had the upper hand.
With each passing minute more dwarves kept dying. As there were less and less priests the defenders grew more courageous. With the help of their healers, they endured a few spells if it meant taking out the enemy.
The army's morale rose again. The players could already see themselves celebrating the victory. The territory was as good as theirs!