The caravan broke camp the next morning. They pressed eastward, deeper into the rugged foothills that served as a prelude to the Serpent's Tooth mountain range. The landscape grew noticeably wilder, more ancient. Crumbling Alvari structures – sections of aqueducts half-buried in earth, weathered plinths covered in unidentifiable symbols, the foundations of forgotten outposts – became increasingly common, hinting at a more significant Alvari presence in the region. The air itself felt different, heavier, charged with a latent magical energy that made the hairs on Drake's virtual arms prickle. His [Relic Hunter] skill, constantly active, picked up a more persistent, ambient Alvari energy signature that grew stronger with each mile traveled.
The local fauna reflected this shift. They encountered fewer mundane beasts and more creatures clearly touched or warped by the ambient magic. Level 29 Resonance-Charged Crag Lizards, their scales shimmering with captured energy, darted amongst the rocks, spitting bolts of unstable magic. Packs of Level 30 Ley-Warped Stalkers, gaunt, shadowy canines with eyes that glowed with an unsettling inner light, hunted with unnatural cunning.
Midday, as the caravan navigated a narrow, boulder-strewn pass marked on Drake's [Cartographer's Route Maps] as another ambush finally struck. It wasn't the Argent Excavators this time, at least not directly. A chorus of guttural roars echoed from the cliffs above, and a wave of large, powerfully built reptilian creatures, each easily the size of a small bear, leaped down into the pass, blocking the caravan's path ahead and behind. They were Mountain Ravagers (Level 33 Elites), their hides like iron, their claws like daggers, and their eyes burning with primal fury. There were at least a dozen of them, their sudden appearance sowing immediate chaos.
"Ravagers! Ambush! Form defense! Wagons central!" Captain Borin Stonebeard's voice cut through the initial shock. The League guards reacted instantly, their training taking over. They formed a tight defensive ring around the vulnerable wagons and passengers, shields locked, weapons ready. The League mages began chanting, protective barriers shimmering into existence.
This was a far more direct and brutal assault than the skirmishes they'd faced so far. The Mountain Ravagers were Elites, significantly tougher and harder-hitting than the standard wilderness mobs. Their initial charge slammed into the guard line with devastating force. Drake saw a heavily armored dwarven guard (Level 32) get sent flying by a swipe from a Ravager's massive foreclaw, his shield splintering.
"Level 33 Elites. This is a serious fight. No holding back now."
Drake moved to reinforce the most heavily pressed section of the line, his twin blades a silver gleam. A Ravager, having just bowled over a guard, turned its attention to him, its massive jaws snapping. Drake met its charge with [Parry] << Skill Success! [Parry] SCR 86%! Damage Significantly Reduced! Ravager Staggered (Minor)! >> << Damage Taken: 45! HP: >>
He immediately unleashed his [Basic Attack Combo R/L] the Ravager roared in pain, surprised by the potency of Drake's counterattack. It swiped again, but Drake, anticipating the move, used a quick [Blade Dance] to spin just out of its reach while clipping its flank for moderate damage, then flowed seamlessly back into his basic combo. His attack speed was already increasing, his blades weaving a complex pattern of offense and defense.
The battle was fierce. The League guards fought with courage and skill, their coordinated shield bashes and heavy weapon strikes holding back the tide of Ravagers. But the Elites were incredibly durable, their iron-hard hides shrugging off blows that would have felled lesser creatures. Drake became a focal point of destruction. He moved fluidly along the defensive line, his Parries deflecting lethal claws and snapping jaws, his [Twin Fang Strikes] finding weak points in the Ravagers' armor, and his [Basic Attack Combo R/L], fueled by rapidly maxing [Relentless Assault] stacks, tearing through their health bars with astonishing speed.
He used his 92% SCR [Ground Stomp] whenever two or more Ravagers clustered, its AoE stagger providing crucial breathing room for the hard-pressed guards. The fight was a blur of perfectly executed techniques, his [Eidetic Execution] ensuring every action was at his peak capability. He wasn't just fighting; he was conducting an orchestra of destruction, his twin blades the batons.
After a brutal, ten-minute melee that left several guards heavily wounded and the canyon floor littered with defeated Ravagers, the last of the elite predators finally fell to a combined strike from Captain Stonebeard and Drake. Silence, broken only by ragged breathing and the cries of the injured, descended upon the pass.
<< Party Assist EXP Gained: +45000! >> (Drake's share from the numerous Level 33 Elite kills). The massive influx of experience, coming on top of the steady gains from the journey, was enough. Ding! LEVEL UP! You are now Level 22! << Base Attributes Increased! HP/MP/Stamina Increased! +2 Attribute Points Available! >>
He had taken hits, his health bar dipping below half during the worst of the fighting despite his skillful defense, but he had survived and helped in repelling the ambush.
Captain Stonebeard, leaning heavily on his axe, gave Drake a look filled with grim respect. "By the Forge and Anvil, Bladesworn... you again help saving a lot of lives today."
Drake merely nodded, accepting the praise stoically. The caravan had survived, but the encounter was a stark reminder of the escalating dangers as they drew closer to the Serpent's Tooth range and the rumored Alvari fortress.
They spent an hour fortifying their position in the pass, tending to the wounded, and salvaging what they could from the Ravagers ([Ravager Hide], [Iron-Hard Claws]). As they prepared to move on, the sun beginning to dip towards the western horizon, Drake's [Relic Hunter] skill, which had been passively scanning, suddenly pulsed with a stronger, more coherent Alvari energy signature than he'd felt before, emanating from the east, deeper into the mountains.
"That's new. Stronger than the ambient readings. We're getting closer to something significant."
The caravan pressed onward, the pace now even more cautious. As evening descended, they made camp within sight of the first true peaks of the Serpent's Tooth range. And there, silhouetted against the blood-red sunset, perched high on a distant, craggy tor, was the unmistakable, massive, and broken silhouette of an ancient Alvari fortress. It was vast, sprawling, clearly ruined in many places, but parts of it still seemed to defy the ages, hinting at the power that had once resided there. The air itself felt thick with anticipation and a sense of ancient, slumbering power. The Echoing Forge lay somewhere within that colossal ruin.