CH649 Revenge Raid II
***
Due to the infamy the Lost Heathens had accumulated over the years, very few groups dared to attack them anywhere within the Hollowcrest Wildlands—much less a location so close to their key shipnt base.
As a result, the majority of guards stationed at the hub hovered between Bronze and Silver ranks. Gold-ranked individuals were scarce, while Combat Masters were almost never present.
Such high-level combat assets were far more valuable when deployed elsewhere than wasted on guarding a base that no one would ordinarily dare to attack—under normal circumstances.
While this might appear careless at first glance, the reality was more pragmatic.
Any force bold enough to assault the base would either be overwhelmingly powerful or ticulously prepared, to the extent that the presence of higher-ranked defenders would make little difference.
Thus, despite its importance, the base’s defences were comparatively weaker than one might expect.
The Fury Knights carved through the hostiles in their path with relative ease.
With Kavakan, Mogal, and Havel rampaging through the base, the Gold-ranked and stronger Silver-ranked enemies had been drawn towards them, leaving behind only the weaker Silver ranked and Bronze-ranked fighters to contend with the Fury Knights.
Given that each Fury Knight stood at the Late Interdiate rank—effectively placing them at Peak Silver strength—there was little in the remaining opposition capable of halting their advance.
’While our troops are individually stronger than these bandits, they are still outnumbered,’ Alex mused. ’Best to take precautions.’
"[Link]!"
The mont Alex cast the spell, the mbers of the Fortuna Company felt an imdiate and intimate connection form between them.
Defence and energy began to flow and balance across the group, subtly reinforcing each individual through the collective.
Alex then pointed towards Eleanore, designating her as the focal anchor of the spell.
"I’ll leave them in your hands," he said.
"Don’t worry. I’ll keep them alive this ti," she replied with quiet confidence.
Alex studied her briefly, as though weighing her words, but ultimately chose not to comnt.
"Die!"
Without warning, a hostile lunged from a concealed position, charging towards Alex and his wives, who—alongside Sugud and Kron Belloc—remained at the rear of the raid formation.
Sugud and Kron Belloc flinched at the sudden bellow, startled by the ambush. In contrast, Alex and his wives did not react in the slightest. They already knew the outco.
Soone else would handle it.
Ice Breath!
Before the Gold-ranked attacker could take more than a few steps, a freezing torrent erupted from the shadows.
Fen, who had been trailing the group protectively, unleashed a blast of icy breath that struck the hostile head-on.
The man’s golden aura coating froze instantly—then shattered under the sudden thermal shock.
His eyes widened in genuine disbelief as the protective layer he relied upon collapsed before his very eyes.
Although he remained physically uninjured by the attack, this was the first ti he had encountered a beast below the Fourth Circle capable of freezing aura coating—sothing which was essentially Combat energy.
Fen stepped forward, positioning himself a few feet ahead of the hostile, firmly blocking his path towards Alex’s group.
"Awoooo!!!"
Fen released a long, resonant howl.
The hostile did not dare to move, watching the strange beast—one that could freeze energy itself—with extre caution.
However—
’That was a grave mistake,’ Alex thought as he observed the man’s reaction from the corner of his eye.
"Awooo!!!"
Answering howls suddenly echoed from the surrounding mountains and highlands encircling the base.
The hostile felt it imdiately—multiple predatory gazes locking onto him from beyond the walls.
Realising the danger, he lunged towards Fen in a desperate attempt to eliminate the threat. However, the ashen-furred wolf moved fluidly, effortlessly evading each of his strikes.
Monts later, the man’s fear beca reality.
Dozens of wolves—of varying strengths and species—stord into the base.
At least five Class 2 wolves lunged at him in near-perfect coordination.
One went low, aiming for his legs. As he moved to block the lunge, another wolf slashed at his back with its claws.
"Argh!" he groaned.
Ice Bolt!
He spun around to retaliate, but a precisely tid ice bolt from Fen struck his weapon, knocking the sword from his grasp while freezing his hand in the process.
Another wolf leapt onto his back, jaws snapping towards his neck. The man reacted quickly, driving a punch into its skull and sending it crashing to the ground.
Yet the assault did not relent.
A wolf darted forward and slamd into the back of his knees, forcing him off balance. Almost imdiately, another body-checked him from the side, sending him crashing fully to the ground.
The five wolves closed in, standing over him.
They made quick, rciless work of the fallen man.
"Awooo!!!"
The wolves let out a victorious howl before their Alpha.
"Awooo!!!"
Fen responded with a commanding cry of his own.
"Awooo!!!"
More wolves arrived, their howls joining together in a unified chorus.
Without delay, Fen led the pack forward, charging deeper into the base. Their arrival bolstered the Fortuna Company’s forces, significantly reducing the nurical disadvantage.
Elsewhere within the settlent, a hostile moved stealthily—no, cowardly—through the chaos.
He weaved through the fighting with visible fear, narrowly avoiding the clashes around him until he finally reached a dovecote-like structure housing various species of ssenger birds.
With trembling hands, the man hurriedly tied strips of red cloth onto several birds before releasing them into the night sky.
The birds took flight, initially following paths that led away from the settlent...
"Scree!!!"
A sharp, regal avian cry tore through the night sky.
Senu, who had been diving and sniping hostile positions—opening and softening them up for the Fortuna Company—halted mid-flight.
The mont she spotted the ssenger birds attempting to flee the settlent, she released a piercing screech.
The ssenger birds trembled violently upon hearing the cry, their flight patterns faltering. So of them even forgot to flap their wings entirely, dropping clumsily from the air.
Regal Aura!
"Scree!!!"
Queen Senu unleashed another cry, this ti infused with her Regal Aura. The command within it was poignant.
As if compelled by an unseen authority, the birds imdiately began to descend from the skies.
These were ordinary Class 0 creatures—perhaps with a few weak Class 1s mixed in at best.
None of them dared challenge the dominion of a true aerial sovereign. Under such overwhelming pressure, not a single one attempted to continue their escape.
The cowardly man stared upwards in stunned disbelief.
He had summoned every ounce of courage he possessed to send out those birds, hoping to alert their leader, Brock Peyton, of the raid on their base.
And yet, that fragile act of bravery... had been utterly crushed in an instant.
Panicking, he turned to flee the dovecote.
Bang!
Unfortunately for him, a Fury Knight had already closed in from behind.
Before the man could even turn around, the knight delivered a sharp, controlled backhand strike—driving the poml of his sword into the side of the man’s head.
The man collapsed instantly, unconscious.
Without wasting ti, the Fury Knight bound the unconscious man and left him secured in a corner of the dovecote before moving on.
Individuals responsible for managing key facilities—such as this dovecote—were valuable sources of intelligence.
Moreover, as they were, more often than not, non-combatants, the Fury Knights, and the Fortuna Company as a whole, had no particular desire to kill them, even in the midst of a revenge operation.
Alex lifted his gaze towards the sky, watching Senu, before glancing back at Fen behind him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
***
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