The Achievement Junkie 262 The Third Strike

Toms and Dirk began their march, not giving their followers any other option than to obediently head toward the border. However, something that the new soldiers noticed but didn't understand was the relocation of the captains. It was briefly talked about within the ranks and then quickly ignored as no answer was given as to why the captains were now located at the rear of the army's march.

"Men!" Seeing how the soldiers were a bit confused without their captains guiding them, Toms spoke up to reignite their rage. "We're almost at the border! Be ready to push through by force! If anyone is too distracted, then they're sure to die before claiming vengeance for their city!"

There was no call back at that time. Instead, the soldiers quickened their pace and sounded various battle cries as they neared their first bloody battle.

Dirk would look back on the soldiers and feel his heart clench. He couldn't argue with the effectiveness of Toms's strategy but he would forever be opposed to the morality of such measures. Looking back, Dirk mentioned, "I'll walk amongst the soldiers for a while. It should help morale quite a bit."

"A great idea!" Toms laughed. "Just make sure you're back in position for our maneuver at the border. And keep an eye out for them, okay?"

"Of course, General."

Dirk slowed down and became consumed by the mass of soldiers that were once behind him. All the soldiers were excited to see him among them and they made sure to march onward with a smile. No one wanted to disappoint the assistant or make a bad impression. It was their chance to stand out and get noticed.

After joining the crowd, the assistant seemed to move around the army as if in search of someone. When he was almost in the middle of the army, a hand reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

"Same, it's been a while, old friend," Dirk replied with a slight smile. "How did you get mixed up in all this?"

"Well, I guess you could say that the aggressive recruiting strategy was quite persuasive. Any tips for a newcomer like me?" joked the aging soldier.

"With your skills, you should be fine. But if any of your comrades joined as well, I'd try and band up before the border. Increase your odds a bit more."

"Will do, Dirk. I'll stop getting in your way now," laughed the man.

Dirk laughed as well, playfully slapping the man's shoulder. "Anytime, old friend. If I get the chance, I'll find you again to help you out if needed."

After the short exchange, Dirk found his way back to the front of the army.

'Everyone, we're going with plan B,' the aging soldier calmly stated in his mind.

'And what about Dirk?' Rydel's voice responded.

'He's ready to make a move when the time comes,' replied the soldier. 'Daliea, you'll make the first move, but don't be afraid to back off. You still need to recover after all of the illusions you cast yesterday.'

'Thank you, Jack. I'll keep that in mind,' Daliea replied shyly. 'Is everyone ready?'

'Ayden and I are in position,' stated Rydel.

Eliza followed, 'So are me and Keela.'

'And I've been waiting for too long,' Jack added. 'Let's get this done so we can finally sleep and be done with this mission.'

'Alright. We're starting in 3… 2… 1…'

Right on cue, a massive orb of blackness appeared and covered a sixth of the army near the front, stopping just before it reached Assistant Dirk.

Toms quickly noticed it and turned himself around. "Men! We have spies among us! Be merciless and attack anyone suspicious!"

As he was giving the order, the army came to a grinding halt, trying to create some space between them and the darkness. For those inside the shadowy world, they were able to hear the general's orders, but they couldn't even see the hand in front of their faces. Without any kind of light magic to counter it, they were lost within the abyssal darkness.

The soldiers readied themselves to attack, but something caught them off guard.

Only a few seconds after the darkness appeared shouts of the trapped soldiers rang out. Everyone could hear their pain and suffering. Soon, they too understood what was happening inside that darkness.

White fireballs emerged from the darkness, flying haphazardly into the surrounding army. Both fear and rage-filled the hearts of the soldiers as they recognized those flames.

Toms paid close attention, nodding silently as if to give credit to his enemy for their cunning and tenacity. "Men, don't be afraid, just attack! Throw everything you have into that black sphere! And be ready for more surprise attacks from anywhere else!"

As if to follow the general's orders, more cries of men rang out but from the rear this time. A third of the captains were now laying across the ground in a pool of blood. Each had an arrow jutted out of their neck or skull. 

The captains had planned to stay back and disappear before entering enemy territory, that way the general wouldn't lose the few veteran soldiers he did have.

Now, having sectioned themselves off from the rest of the army, they were easy targets. But they still had no idea how those first captains had died. They didn't know where the arrows had come from, nor did they hear anything besides the faint whistle of an arrow, but they were too fast to see.

One captain retrieved his contact crystal and reported, "Sir, we've lost a third of the captains."

"What?!" Toms heard the captains' cries but hadn't recognized who they belonged too. "How?! Who caused it?!"

"Sir, we don't know," the captain frantically replied. "They were killed by arrows, but we never saw where they…"

"Speak up! What's happening?!" Toms tried to get another response, but the dead captain would never be able to speak again after taking an arrow through his throat. "Dirk! Get back here!"

Following orders, Assistant Dirk dashed toward the general, staying close like they had planned. "What now, General?"

"Now we let Trank's men make an appearance," groaned the general. "Looks like I'll have to pay him double after all."

The fireballs continued, completely disregarding the hundreds of arrows launched into the darkness. And the invisible archer continued to pick off the captains since they had made his job easier.

Within the army, a few men weren't attacking but slipping through the ranks and approaching the dark sphere. As they reached the gap between the army and the orb, they each took out a staff. Immediately, their staffs began to glow and amass a lot of energy, drawing the attention of the soldiers and stopping them from attacking.

Jack also saw them, but he was unable to see through their levels, marking them as the men he was warned about.

'Everyone, the experts are making a move on the orb. Bowzer, get back in Daliea's ring. Daliea, take to the air. Rydel, you know what to do.'

Following the plan, the fireballs ceased just before the secret mages launched their attack.

Not taking that as a coincidence, Toms and the still hidden Trank understood that there had to be someone keeping an eye on everything outside of the darkness, likely another spy hidden among the army.

Finally, the charged up spells were hurled into the dark sphere. A raging blizzard was launched, a tidal wave was created, a storm of boulders was thrown, and a slashing whirl of wind was set off. The dark orb was quickly blown apart by the collision of the four peak-tier spells.

However, when those spells pierced the orb, something else did as well. At the top of the orb, a large blur streaked through the darkness, leaving behind only entry and exit points.

Also, there was suddenly someone riding that incredible beast as it exited and disappeared at an incredible speed.

Again, the army had been attacked and the attackers had escaped their grasp. At least, that's what the majority of the soldiers thought.

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Chapter end