Liam watched his target fall but it didn't invoke any emotion in him. He was already used to such scenes.
Due to the game's immersive world, though, others found it difficult to get accustomed. The guild members had to constantly remind each other that this was only a game. The cries of the enemies, the worried faces of the NPCs, everything made it difficult to treat the world as fictional.
Only the fact that no corpses remained behind made it more bearable. Of course, there were also players who were filled with genuine excitement, feeling that they were part of something bigger than themselves.
Liam was rather indifferent to all of this, keeping the goal in mind. He knew that the war was only just starting, and the others relied on him to lead them to victory.
The veteran coldly grabbed another spear, aimed, and fired. Each of his throws hit its target. He was a nightmare for the mist dwarves but in the bigger context he alone still couldn't make much of a difference.
However, those watching Liam got a better sense of how the mist dwarves moved and hid. Trying to learn from Liam they slowly improved their aim.
But the best tactic remained AOE attacks. Those using bow and arrow communicated with each other to attack certain areas while the mages unleashed their powerful AOE spells.
Slowly a balance set in. The front line was forced to stop about halfway towards the wall. Under the rain of arrows, spells, and spears, even the tanky lizards couldn't move further than that.
At the same time the army, especially the new recruits, got used to the pressure of the battlefield. Their efficiency increased slightly. The NPC general directed the archers to shoot their arrows in waves. Meanwhile the town's clerk was taking care of the logistics. The non-combatants constantly ran around the wall, bringing new arrows to the soldiers.
"Keep it up guys!"
"I'm about to level up!"
"Nice shot!"
After a few minutes the players began to feel some fatigue, but it was suppressed by the mutual encouragement and the joy from seeing their EXP rise explosively. EXP from each kill was proportionally distributed among the players, with those of higher levels receiving more EXP.
However, relative to the amount they needed to level up those of lower levels actually received more EXP which soon caused the first players to level up.
Growing stronger as they fought the players had an additional source of confidence and motivation.
However, the mist dwarves weren't done yet. Suddenly a terrifying roar echoed through the battlefield. The mist in front of the mines surged and a new squad entered the battlefield.
What appeared were a group of ten orcs. Perhaps they could be more aptly called mist orcs. Standing at twice the height of an average human they had the bodies of orcs but with four arms and sharp horns growing out everywhere.
As soon as the orcs appeared, the dynamic of the battlefield shifted. The lizards crowded around them started acting as living shields.
"Quick! Focus your attacks on them!"
The NPC general felt the danger and ordered his soldiers to focus on the orcs. Arrows rained down on them but to everyone's shock lizards suddenly jumped into the air. Their small wings allowed them to float for a few seconds which was enough to block a vast number of arrows.
The lizards let out tragic cries as they fell to the ground, dead, their bodies looking like porcupines. But the manoveur completely shielded the orcs, allowing them to advance swiftly.
Everyone was shocked by the manoveur. Their attempts to kill the orcs kept getting blocked by the lizards.
Liam narrowed his eyes studying the battlefield. He knew that there must be someone controlling the lizards or they wouldn't show such a behaviour. He fixed his eyes on the mist dwarves which only remained in small numbers.
Suddenly Liam spotted a swirling cloud of mist constantly moving over the battlefield. Some of the lizards would briefly look towards it before they moved.
[Bleary Mirage: Cyclone! Stop that cloud! Fortune, see if you can kill it!]
[Cyclone: Got it!]
[Fortune: Yes!]
Cyclone took a deep breath. In the current situation she didn't show her usual liveliness, focusing completely on the fight. She wanted to serve as an example for the guild members.
Reminding herself of that, Cyclone narrowed her eyes and focused on the cloud Liam had pointed out. She raised her wand and casted [Lightning Cage] which only took her three seconds thanks to all the buffs.
Anticipating the enemy's movement she swung her wand. Lightning surged, trapping the moving cloud.
"Nice!"
Cyclone exclaimed excitedly. She watched as the fast-moving cloud crashed into her spell. Sparks erupted and the cloud was forced to turn back into a lanky mist dwarf holding a strange whistle in her hands. The grey-skinned woman turned her head towards the wall.
Cyclone felt as if the enemy looked directly at her. For a moment she was taken aback before putting on a defiant look.
The mist dwarfs' eyes showed rage before turning to worry. She felt the lightning surging through her body, paralyzing her. At the same time multiple bolts of lightning erupted from the lightning cage as Cyclone's passive took effect. During the fight she was constantly paralyzing others, who took damage each time she caused lightning damage, boasting her damage numbers.
Meanwhile Fortune was also done with casting her skill. She waved her heavy staff, appearing like a female heroine as she stood on top of the tower in her billowing robe. Bolts of arcane magic shot through the battlefield.
The projectiles were inherently difficult to control. And on such a large battlefield at a range further than what Fortune was used to it as even more difficult. Thus, the first bolt missed, causing Fortune's heart to skip a beat. She knew that if the enemy got rid of the paralysis it would be highly unlikely to trap them again.
Calming herself down Fortune instantly gathered all her concentration. The second bolt was sent out and it pierced through the mist dwarf's leg!
[-2204!]
The damage was not as good as Fortune would have hoped. She needed three more hits to take the enemy down. Knwoign that time was tight she instantly sent another attack, hitting again.
However, a mishap occurred with the third bolt. The violent mana caused Fortune's staff to shake, and her bolt went wide. She immediately felt her stomach turn, fearing that the enemy would escape. Instantly she sent another bolt.
The mist dwarf finally regained her movement, taking a step to the side. At the last moment Fortune's bolt still barely reached her but the damage was not enough to take her life.
In her mind she was already imagining how to take revenge when an inconspicuous, nearly transparent, magical sphere appeared in front of her. The mist dwarf was shocked, failing to dodge. The magical sphere crashed into her waist, taking away the last of her HP.
Fortune let out a sigh of relief:
"Thanks! You saved me there, Cyclone."
"What are you saying? We simply worked together to kill the enemy! This was a team effort!"
"You're right."
Fortune friend at Cyclone for a moment before turning back towards the fight. She still had six arcane bolts remaining waiting to wreak havoc among the enemies. Now that the mist dwarf died, the lizards lost control. They stopped actively protecting the orcs and instead continued to mindlessly rush towards the wall.
Immediately the orcs were welcomed with concentrated fire. However, they proved quite resilient. Activating their skills they set up a blood-red protective layer which was able to buy about three precious seconds.
Making use of the time the orcs broke through the front line, leaving the lizards behind.
"Don't let them reach the wall!"
"Watch where you're firing!"
"The lizards are gaining ground!"
The situation was quite chaotic. The group of ten orcs was a smaller target, difficult to hit for the more unexperienced soldiers. The general quickly had to make arrangements to let only those with experience fire at the orcs while the rest kept targeting the lizards.
However, now the army's damage was divided, and the enemies gained more ground. It didn't take long until the orcs came dangerously close to the ground, having sacrificed two of their comrades in the process.
"Humans! Die!"
The leading orc let out an ugly growl in an attempt to intimidate the soldiers. Just then Liam gave out a command:
"Assassins! Kill them!"
As the situation changed Liam had already told all the thieves to prepare. Now that he gave the command, two doors, which they constructed instead of one large gate, opened at the bottom of the wall and close to a hundred agile thieves surged out.
They knew their mission, moving extremely quickly. The wave of assassins, mostly clad in black, quickly drowned out the dumbfounded orcs. Everyone only unleashed a single powerful skill before escaping, guaranteeing high efficiency.
The orcs were ecstatic as the enemies faced them head on. But before a real fight could break out most of the tall warriors already had their HP drop to zero.