Early the next morning, we all left the village, marching toward the nest. We were too big of a group to even attempt going for a sneak attack. Anyone would be able to see us coming no matter how much we tried to hide our presence.
The Eaters were creatures that had a very high detection capability. Meaning that we were moving with the knowledge that the Eaters would be ready for us. Ash's plan was created entirely considering that this would be the case. If we were to actually catch them off guard, it wasn't going to be the end of the world. The plan would still benefit from the element of surprise, it just wasn't counting on it.
At the same time, we all understood that if we were going for a sneak attack, there were better plans to be put into motion. Instead, we were marching on a very specific formation. The fighters and more physical types of warriors were taking the lead, while the mages would be in the middle, with the archers bringing up the rear. The idea was that it was better for the mages to fire their spells over a shorter distance and let the archers took care of the really long-range shots. And that was just the start of it.
Ash had come up with various plans depending on how the Eaters would react to our attacks. Despite Trix's objection, the chieftain also came along to command the battle. Although he was under strict orders given not just by the Healer, but also by his children and his brother, Carl, to not engage with the Eaters. He was there to command, and that was all.
Although I was pretty positive he also had a couple of different reasons for wanting to be here. First, he wanted to see the Eater that killed his wife die. Even if he wasn't the one dealing the finishing blow, he wanted to be here. Second, a reason that I don't think he ever spoke out loud was that he didn't want to be left alone. If the worst came to pass and we lost this battle, he wanted to fall with his army, not just be waiting back in the village for when the Eaters would inevitably attack.
We had to take the scenic route to the nest as going above the mountain was too dangerous. Moving down, climbing down the plateau would expose the entire army. If the Eaters had a powerful land-controlling skill or just a way to cause a large landslide, it would wipe us all out in a single move.
Things like that never really crossed my mind when thinking about battles. After all, if I were to face a similar situation, I would just make sure that the amount of people who were with me would be able to defend against such attacks. But the reality was that defending with a smaller group was much easier than with a bigger one. If we were too cavalier about the situation, there was a good chance that we would die before even starting to fight. While I was not a good match for this type of command role, Rex seemed to understand this kind of thing perfectly, as he was the one who explained it all to me.
Taking the long way around required a few hours of travel. The most dangerous part, or I suppose I should say the second most dangerous part, of this trip was a small valley patch we had to cross. There was a world where the Eaters noticed our attacks and were waiting on the side of the valley to go for a pincer maneuver. But the scouts that went ahead couldn't find the presence of any of those creatures nearby. This either meant the Eaters were too well hidden for any of them to see, or they were not going to make their stand here.
Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure which option I would prefer. We knew that Eaters in general were not particularly smart. They were intelligent, yes, and they couldn't understand danger and react accordingly. Yet, no one had ever seen Eaters making plans, preparing defenses, or things like that.
The problem was that at the same time, I had no knowledge of anyone ever attacking a nest. Since the nests were supposed to have this Hatchling Eater, or a version of it who had more knowledge about the world, then maybe this particular version of the creatures was able to plan ahead. Not to mention, I still had the vision to consider.
That one vision that I saw when I touched the husk of an Eater. In there, a voice was telling the Eater what to do. While I had no way to confirm it, something told me that it was the nest, or at the very least something like a nest, that was giving it orders. If there was even one Commander amongst the Eaters, then this fight would be much harder than anyone was expecting.
We continued marching across the desert, making sure to make as little noise as possible, even though that was very hard. There were too many of us, too many Rodenti, too many feet stomping the ground, most in armor that was not at all stealthy. Very few of them had actual metal on their equipment, but even the rocks that were being used were rumbling as those wearing them moved.
To prepare for this, I also added {Vault Of The Static Memory} to my skills. It was the skill the Lethea gave to us. The one that could extract the memories of the Hatchling Eater. We discussed if we should also add {May The Waves Carry My Voice}, but it still felt like too big of a cost. The skill required too much Energy and lasted for a very small amount of time. It just wasn't worth it.
The one skill I decided to store to make room for the vault was {Formless Swipe}. As much as it could help during the fight, {Compression} would help much more, and all my other skills gave me more benefits instead of just having a way to attack. Not to mention, we were fighting Eaters. Using a slightly powerful skill to hit them wasn't enough. They all should have access to {Body Regeneration} or something similar. Meaning that the only real attack I should be using was {Clash Of Nature}. Anything else would be a waste of Energy.
I wasn't the only one with the memory skill. Riley also decided to take it, replacing one of their botanist skills. They made sure to keep at the very least one Botany skill. After all, without it, they wouldn't be able to continue growing that subclass, but it was better to have something more closely related to survival than essentially removing one of her memory slots.
We approached the nest, and my fears came to be. Waiting for us, clearly already expecting our arrival, was a large row of Eaters. There should be at least twenty, and even though our numbers were near the hundreds, it was hard to feel confident when facing those monsters. Comfortable or not, this was what we were going to do now.
Carl took the lead, stepping in front of the group as the Eaters seemed to be waiting, maybe just trying to gauge our power or doing the same thing that we were doing and preparing for the attack. It was very strange to see them acting in such a human way, although calling it human wasn't really fair to the other Rodenti in the way that a person would act. One thing that I was thankful to Ash for was the fact that he made it clear Carl shouldn't try to give a speech. After all, if he started talking too much, the Eaters might see that as an opening to strike.
Instead, the signal to begin the fight was much simpler. Carl raised his spear, pointing up into the sky just as a few Rodenti blew on horns. They all felt a rush of strength coursing through their bodies. This was a skill that the last group of Rodenti to join the fight could use.
Apparently, to the north was a village. In there lived a few Rodenti who specialized in improving the overall power of their warriors. Not in the sense of training them, but using various skills that could function similarly to the meals I knew how to make. One of said skills was activated by blowing the horn they were using. It increased their attributes by a certain number that no one felt comfortable sharing with us, although Rex was aware of it.
The only problem for us was that this particular skill only affected the Rodenti specifically, which in a way made sense. What is the point of having a skill like that if it could also affect their enemies? It was just a shame that my group wouldn't be enjoying the benefits of the skill.
Just as soon as the horn sounded, Carl and all the Rodenti screamed, and we all started charging at the Eaters. From this distance, I couldn't really have the System telling me the types of Eaters that were there, but even then, there were a couple that I recognized. The Scavenger Eater, which seemed to be the most common form, was there, and so was the Hunter Eater, the same type with longer, spindly legs that chased me out of Madison village.
What made my heart sink was the Guardian Eater that was in the middle of the pack. Those shielded legs clear as day for all to see. We had warned all the Rodenti about its abilities, especially since everyone who participated in that fight agreed it was very likely that one of them was going to be near the nest. But actually seeing them here was worrisome.
Still, that didn't matter as much, as I wouldn't have to be thinking about the fight outside. The last piece of the puzzle, the last part of the attack that Ash created, was a group consisting of us and the warriors that Rixnala brought. We were supposed to ignore the fight outside and go directly into the nest.
Once there, we were to search for a way to bring it all down, either by collapsing the tunnels or, if I was right and the nest was an actual Eater, destroying it. Even if that gigantic spire was a monster, it should have organs or a heart, something that was a weak spot or something that could be used to destroy the entire thing. And this was our job. Rush inside the nest and destroy it from within.
Doing that was much easier said than done. While Riley, Astrid, and I were somewhat fine with the idea of leaving the other Rodenti to fight the Eaters on their own, Michael and Rex didn't share our thoughts. They wanted to be up there fighting with the rest of them. They wanted to make a difference and help, even if a little bit, to make sure that at least one more Rodenti came back alive.
What they didn't seem to understand is that sometimes, sacrifices were necessary. The same way that most of the people in my village were sacrificed in order for the few of us to survive, even if back then no one really got to make the decision on who was going to live. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would have picked myself if I could.
We went in a wide arc around the fight. As the Eaters started to clash with the army, taking advantage of an opening, the nine of us, my team of five, plus the four strongest people Rixnala brought, dove into the nest of Eaters. We were all hoping that somehow, some way, we were able to destroy it before too many lives were lost, including our own.