Jorgenson and the other Carls arrived at Jeze''s and the Proven''s camp to congratulate them on their victory over the Rovers.
"You pups did well," one of the Carls stated.
"Aye, a single Rover is considered Tier 4. By the accounts, your team defeated Five of them. That is considered a Tier 5 battle," Jorgenson added.
"Does that make us Adventurer Rank?" Jeze perked up and asked.
The Carls rumbled with deep laughter. "No, child. But it was an impressive feat and demonstrates that you all are on your way to achieving the next rank," Jorgenson replied.
Dunar rose, his face serious, and he said, "Carl, we have disturbing news to share."
Jorgenson and the Carls listened with stern faces as they were told about the assassination attempt on Jeze''s life.
"The girl has much to share with us," Jorgenson stated.
Jeze shrank from his icy gaze. She hesitated.
"I don''t mind you having secrets. Unless they put our people in jeopardy," Jorgenson stated.
"Out with it, girl!" Another Carl barked. This was the lady with the tattooed face.
Jeze was startled out of her nervousness and she shared her story about Raynor''s death, and Drake''s treachery. She also shared with them the knowledge she gained from Archon regarding the Spire being called the Stronghold and what laid at the top.
"We care not about the politics of the Empire," Jorgenson stated and added, "But this is troubling news that puts the Proven in danger."
"Why didn''t you tell us sooner?" Dunar asked.
Jeze''s heart broke at the concerned look from her Team Leader. She stammered, "I didn''t want to put your lives in danger with the knowledge."
Mikal scoffed, "Or, you didn''t want to jeopardize joining our team."
"I originally didn''t want to join your team, remember?" Jeze snapped back and immediately regretted her outburst.
"I don''t see the big deal. She fights well. So what if some stupid Empire agent is after her?" Helga pointed out, and she fed Ziplocke a treat.
Rolfe nodded in agreement and added, "Raynor was a fellow Frostsworn and adventurer. It is our duty to aid Jeze to right this wrong."
The Carls nodded silently, but Dunar''s face remained expressionless. Jeze''s heart sank. He hates me! She worried to herself.
"The big deal, you two ask? We now have to worry about assassins coming after us. We have no quarrel with the Empire, and she dragged us into it!" Mikal shouted. The Healer rose to his feet.
"All good points," Jorgenson stated.
Dunar finally spoke, "We have to alert the Guild of this treachery. I do not like that Jeze kept secrets from us, but as far as I can tell, she did nothing wrong. It is Drake and the Empire who are in the wrong."
Jeze''s heart lifted, but Dunar was not smiling. His face remained impassive.
Jorgenson nodded slowly and replied, "But Drake is a respected Adventurer Rank within the Guild. By Jeze''s account, he has support from Miss Heng. Such accusations will only embolden them."
"What of Seb? If they murdered him, a high-ranked Guild official, then they will have no qualms to do the same to us, the Frostsworn!" Mikal cried.
Jeze flinched when Mikal identified themselves as if they were separate from her.
"The unfortunate accident that took Seb''s life could have been just that. An accident," Dunar said.
Jorgenson nodded in agreement, "The clumsy attempt on Jeze''s life indicates that the would-be killers lack the skill to pull off such an elaborate plan."
Mikal scowled and sat back down. "I vote that Jeze leaves our team," the Healer said.
The words struck Jeze harder than a pack of Bloodlings. But Mikal was right. She should not have put the Proven in danger. She gathered her belongings.
"I will go," she said.
Dunar placed a firm hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "We are your team," he stated.
Mikal grumbled.
"Oh hush, Micky," Helga boomed. "You know that she covered our flanks today. Without her, we would have been overrun."
"Aye, she fights well with us. I would not have no other on our team," Rolfe added.
Tears filled Jeze''s eyes. Ziplocke snickered. He found enjoyment from the look on her face.
"I say the same," Dunar added, and the Proven glanced at Mikal.
The Healer rolled his eyes and responded, "Fine! You are right. She fights well with us. I won''t say I told you so when we all find knives in our backs."
Jeze smiled and hugged her teammates, even Mikal.
"Okay, get off of me!" The Healer snapped.
"Good, it is decided. You all must rest. We have another big day ahead of us. The monsters coming now will be stronger," Jorgenson stated, and with that, the Carls departed.
Before they turned in for the night, Mikal reminded the others, "One assassin got away. Let''s hope he does not return to slit our throats while we sleep."
"We are safe here," Dunar confirmed.
Jeze nodded as she laid back on her bed roll. There were dozens of Prospect ranked guards that kept watch over the camp while the higher ranked Adventurers rested.
"Ziplocke, can you keep watch?" She asked.
The Goblin snickered with glee and answered, "Sure."
That did not make Jeze feel any safer. She was up for many hours and worried about what Drake would try next. Did the failed assassin report back? Or will they try again? How did failed assassinations work? Do they get a second chance? All those questions ran through Jeze''s mind before sleep claimed her.
For the next few days, the team entered into a routine. The number of Bloodlings dwindled, but more Rovers appeared. Jeze and the Proven were tasked with fighting the tentacled aberrations as they were too difficult for the armies to manage. Jeze became more proficient with being able to spot them and the Rovers were slightly easier to deal with when they were unable to strike from an ambush.
Even though the Rovers were much more dangerous than the Bloodlings, the pace at which Jeze and the Frostsworn were fighting had lessened. The team discovered that they had more downtime to spend in camp, where they were able to talk with other adventurers. They learned that there were alchemists that would purchase Rover organs that were used for potion-making and crafting. This made fighting Rovers a lucrative practice. In fact, adventuring teams would compete with each other in finding and slaying the horrid monsters. No wonder Jonah and the other adventurers were upset to be asked to stay out of the monster waves. Jeze also wondered if Rainia was able to harvest the necessary monster parts to complete her Spirit Quest and if the Rover organs were a part of it.
Ziplocke had explained to her and the Frostsworn that when the Wandering Spire appeared, a big chunk of the Abyssal plane merged with their realm and turned the area into a giant wasteland, and in its center would be the enormous Spire. It took several days for the merging to be completed. During the event, Demons would rush forth. Early on, only smaller Demons, such as the Bloodlings, could fit through the Thresholds, and as the merger neared completion, larger Demons could pass through until the Threshold closed completely and only the Spire and surrounding Abyssal plane remained. As the days passed, higher-ranked adventurers arrived, and the more dangerous Demons began appearing.
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"Toward the end, organized Howlers will emerge and they will be led by Demonic commanders. The higher ranked adventurers will want to test themselves against these mighty foes as they often carry with them great treasure!" Ziplocke explained. Jeze fed him paste and the Goblin smacked his lips.
That was what Rainbow and Swordslayer had told Jeze and turned out to be true as she spotted more Adventurer ranked members in the camp. But it was still not enough, as she and the Frostsworn were often summoned back to the front lines. Dunar''s Communication Scroll pinged, and after reading it, his face darkened.
"What is it?" Rolfe asked.
"We are called back to action," Dunar answered.
"Rovers?" Jeze asked, eager to earn more coin.
Dunar shrugged and replied, "I don''t think so. We are ordered to hold out until an Adventurer-ranked team can arrive."
Mikal arched an eyebrow and observed, "That sounds like a lot of risk and no reward."
Helga hefted her Dane axe onto her broad shoulder and announced, "I hope it is a real challenge! One that we best kill before the higher rankers claim the reward."
Rolfe banged his spear against his shield and cried, "Aye! For Glory!"
Jeze howled, and Ziplocke covered his ears and jumped off her shoulder.
"Warn me next time you do that!" He snapped.
"I am traveling with fools," Mikal snorted.
"It could be a Goreraptors," Dunar pointed out.
The Healer''s eyes went wide, and he said, "Those are Tier 5. We can''t possibly defeat them. But if we can, their horns are worth a fortune!"
"Hah! Even noble and pure Micky has some greed in his heart!" Helga said with a loud laugh.
The team jogged through the woods and onto the low ridge that overlooked the open valley where the Wandering Spire was amassing. The thick purple fog remained, but Jeze felt that she was able to make out shapes from within the opaque mass. It reminded her of what a desert would look like, even though she never visited one. She based it upon the images and descriptions she found in books. The battle lines of the armies held strong against the trickle of Bloodlings. The ballista units and archers often killed off the advancing monsters before they could clash against the soldiers. In the distance, they saw small teams of Initiate-ranked adventurers clash against Rovers.
Mikal scanned the area and said, "I don''t see where we are needed. Dunar, did you misread the scroll?"
The team Leader replied, "I did, and we wait."
They linked up with the soldiers on the front line. The armies rotated the soldiers so often that Jeze did not recognize any of them despite fighting alongside them for almost a week. Helga and Rolfe began to fidget and look over to their right, where there was some fighting.
"Can''t we head over there?" Helga offered.
Dunar shook his head and answered, "We remain here where we are ordered to."
The warrior maiden snorted and crossed her thick arms.
"Look!" Rolfe exclaimed and pointed. Emerging from the thick fog was an enormous monster the size of a small house. It stood upright on two powerful hind legs and had two vicious clawed hands. A long spiked tail trailed behind it and hovered above the ground. The monster opened its long mouth and let loose a roar that shook Jeze''s bones. The distinguishing feature was the spear-like horn that stood out on the top of its thick skull.
"By The Frozen All Father! A Goreraptor!” Mikal gasped.
"Yes!" Exclaimed Helga.
"A chance to prove ourselves," Rolfe stated, and the giant man banged his shield.
A horde of Bloodlings swarmed out and charged forward. Behind Jeze and her team, they could hear the sergeants shouting orders. This was followed by the twangs of bows and the launching of catapults. The ranged attacks decimated the Bloodling numbers, but the Goreaptor continued undeterred.
"We can''t fight that!" A soldier to their left cried.
In moments, the line broke, and the soldiers fled up the ridge despite the threats from their commanders.
"Team! It is up to us. We will hold. We will be victorious! Are you with me!" Dunar roared.
Jeze and the others roared their affirmation.
"For Glory!" Dunar cried.
"For Glory!" They responded.
"Form up!" Dunar ordered.
Rolfe marched front and center, and Dunar stood beside him. The two banged their shields in unison while Helga marched to their side. The warrior maiden hummed a loud war chant that lit a fire in Jeze''s soul. As the soldiers on their sides quaked and fled, Jeze and the Frostsworn marched ahead.
"Jeze and Mikal, attack the Bloodlings," Dunar ordered.
The two Rune casters tapped their Channeling tools and completed the Glyphs. A hail of Stone fists and Ice arrows rained death upon the charging Bloodlings. But the Goreraptor paid them no attention. The large monster''s attention was drawn to the ballistas as the giant bolts snapped against its thickly armored head. The Goreraptor charged the line of soldiers that stood in front of the ballista unit.
"Face us!" Dunar called out, but the monster paid them no heed as it lumbered past the adventurers.
The line of soldiers broke, and the ones that stayed were flung into the air as the massive monster crashed into them. Jeze watched one soldier get snatched up in the Goreraptor''s razor tooth mouth. The sound of screams and crunching bones haunted her soul. The giant monster was held in place by the line of soldiers as they stabbed it with their spears to little effect. A contingent of men were flung into the air by a swing of the Goreraptor''s spiked tail. Some soldiers were impaled and stuck on its barbs. Another soldier was gored on the creature''s massive horn. Jeze''s team was able to come into striking distance.
"Hit it with everything we have!" Dunar shouted.
Jeze and Mikal pelted the beast with their Runic magic of Stone and Ice. Helga launched forward and buried her axe into one of the hind legs. She retreated just as the Goreraptor swung its tail. They captured the monster''s attention, and it loomed over them. Blood and gore dripped from its mouth, and it crashed down upon Dunar and Rolfe''s shields and scattered the large men to the sides. Helga lunged forward and chopped down with her axe, and it clanged loudly on the creature''s impossibly hard head. The blow nearly knocked the weapon out of the warrior maiden''s hands. Faster than what Jeze would believe possible, the creature swung and struck Helga with its tail and sent the large warrior soaring. Mikal rushed to aid her with his Healing magic as Jeze unleashed flaming missiles at the beast.
The Goreraptor snapped down with its wide maw and Jeze nimbly rolled out of the way. The teenager continued to Summon, Shape, and Control the Fire aspect to strike the beast in its eyes and snout. The Goreraptor roared in pain and charged at Jeze. Thicking quickly, Jeze switched aspects and Summoned a mound of earth and Shaped it to stone to trip the large beast. It stumbled and crashed to the ground. This gave time for Jeze to run further away.
"For Glory!" Rolfe roared, and with two hands, he buried his spear into the grounded Goreraptor.
The large warrior''s shield was lost somewhere on the battlefield, and his spear was now stuck in the beast. The creature swung its head, and Rolfe gasped as the monster''s sharp horn penetrated his lamellar armor. The large warrior stumbled back and was bleeding profusely from a deep wound on his chest. Dunar attacked with axe and blade to draw the monster''s attention away. Jeze rushed over and used her Life aspect Channeling rod to close Rolfe''s wounds. The warrior was stabilized but no longer able to fight in this battle.
"Face me, beast!" Dunar roared, and the Goreraptor rose to its feet to give chase.
"Jeze, we have to drag Rolfe to safety," Mikal said as he appeared beside the teenager.
"What about Dunar?" Jeze asked.
The warrior danced around the Goreraptor, but it was only a matter of moments before his luck would run out. Mikal shook his head and lifted one of Rolfe''s heavy arms to drag the warrior away from the battle. Behind them, Helga rose on unsteady legs.
"What happened?" She asked in a daze.
"We have to get out of here," Mikal said. The Healer added, "Help me with Rolfe."
Dumbfounded, Helga was able to drag Rolfe on her own.
"I''m going to aid Dunar," Jeze stated.
Dunar dodged and circled the beast while striking with his axe and sword. He barely left tiny wounds on the creature. Jeze used her Earth aspect Channeling tools to bombard the Goreraptor with Stone fists. This distracted the monster enough to keep Dunar safe, but for how long? Jeze wondered. It appeared helpless. Mikal was using his Life magic to heal the grievous wounds that Helga and Rolfe sustained.
The line of soldiers had broken and were overrun by Bloodlings. In moments, the ballista and archers would be overtaken next. What could she do? Her magic had little effect and there was no way she could injure the Goreraptor with her axe and long knife. Despair grew in the pit of her stomach and threatened to overtake her. It convinced her that she would die here on the field of battle. Or, she could flee. That would be the sensible thing to do, a small part of her mind informed her. Jeze crushed that part. She would have never gotten to where she was now if she listened to it, and she never did. She drew her axe and long knife and was determined to fight. Determined to die.
The Goreraptor knocked Dunar to the ground, and the Frostsworn warrior frantically tried to scramble away. Jeze charged ahead and watched in horror as the monster stabbed forward with its horn. There was nothing that could be done. Dunar had no shield and no method to defend himself.
Familiar green vines erupted from the ground and ensnared the Goreraptor as it stabbed Dunar in the chest. The Nature aspect held back the monster enough to save the Frostsworn, but he was still seriously wounded. Jeze frantically looked around and recognized Rainbow''s thick purple jacket in the distance up on the low ridge.
"Not bad, kid, but let us real adventurers take it from here," Swordslayer said beside her.
He was in his full blood red armor and the grinning Demon mask covered his face. She wanted to punch and hug the sword fighter at the same time. Without another word, Swordslayer ran fast toward the Goreraptor. Jeze was impressed but she couldn''t spend too much time watching the battle as she needed to aid Dunar as the Frostsworn team Leader was bleeding to death.
"I''m here," she told Dunar. He was gasping and had a gaping hole in his chest armor. She dragged him away from the monster as it turned to engage Swordslayer and Rainbow.
Jeze Channeled the Life aspect. It took a lot of her Will, but she managed to close Dunar''s wounds. The Frostsworn passed out, and she nearly joined him. Through sheer willpower she remained conscious to watch Swordslayer in action. Where was the rest of their team? She wondered. She only saw the two.
The Goreraptor broke free from Rainbow''s vines and snapped its jaws at Swordslayer. The sword fighter dodged to the side and stabbed the creature in the eye. It roared and swung its tail in response. Swordslayer leaped and twisted acrobatically in the air as the viciously spiked tail soared just inches beneath him. When he landed, he quickly lunged forward and sliced the small, vulnerable part behind the Goreraptor''s heels. The monster howled and stumbled upon its weak leg to crash to the ground. It swung its head in an attempt to impale Swordslayer but missed as the sword fighter dodged out of the way.
Rainbow Summoned, Shaped, and Controlled the vines to hold the Goreraptor to the ground. Swordslayer circled the thrashing beast and with a double slice of his swords he slashed the creature''s throat. Blood spurted outwards and in moments the Goreraptor was dead.
Swordslayer removed his mask and turned to face Jeze. "That is how it is done," he said.
But Jeze didn''t hear him. She had passed out beside Dunar.