The crows dived. Two hours had passed since Reidar, and the others had left the valley's chaos behind.

Two hours of flying over a landscape where monsters ranging from level 100 to 300 roamed.

It was a mess, a proper and colossal mess, and the problem was that the monsters were going to increase since the portal hadn't been closed yet.

If the situation wasn't hard already before the portals, now, after them, without a doubt it was. The Aegis Phalanx needed to do something.

Reidar guided his mount lower, breaking through a layer of clouds. Creamont sprawled below.

The city had changed since the last time he had been there. Buildings that once housed offices and apartments now bristled with defensive fortifications. Walls had been erected between structures, creating defensible districts. Watchtowers rose from rooftops. Barricades blocked streets.

But sections of the city remained perfect. Barriers surrounded entire neighborhoods; they were the signs of Settlement Creator Tokens having been used.

Multiple vendor stations dotted the cityscape, each generating its own protective dome. These domes created pockets of safety throughout Creamont's various barriers, overlapping in places to form patchwork zones of absolute defense.

At least, this was how Reidar understood things worked from Morv'axil, provided the threat didn't exceed the level of the vendor who generated the barrier.

<Finally.>

Somewhere down there, his parents were waiting. His father, Matthias, was caring for his comatose wife.

Matthias had somehow reached level 100 while nursing an invalid since the apocalypse began, something that forced him to amputate his foot just to survive. The realization made Reidar's chest tighten.

Seraphine's crow took the lead, banking left to guide the group toward the western district, and the others followed.

Ahead, a skyscraper dominated the sky. This structure sat at the center of a fortified area. It was the Spriggans' base.

Defensive walls surrounded the area. The rooftops of smaller buildings were lined with posts for ranged fighters and mages, who were protected by melee fighters.

Everything looked organized and disciplined, exactly as Reidar expected from Seraphine's people. But they were all low level.

Seraphine was right about her people being the best they had. They started at around level 70 and could reach up to level 95, but that wasn't enough against the new surge of difficulty.

The monsters in the area were now too strong, so they needed to take more risks and increase their levels if they wanted to survive.

The crows circled higher. From the ground, the massive birds would appear as nothing more than dark shapes against the sky. The riders on their backs were invisible, hidden by the creatures' bulk and the distance.

And that was the reason a streak of fire shot past Reidar's head.

His raven leaned right; the movement nearly threw him from his seat. More projectiles followed: arrows trailing flame, bolts of lightning, and spears of ice that left contrails through the air.

"Scatter!" Seraphine said.

The formation shattered as the crows broke away in different directions; their riders were forced to cling to their mounts to avoid falling to the ground.

Reidar's bird dove, dropping fifty feet in seconds just as an arrow whistled past the space where his head had been.

The barrage came from the skyscraper's roof and various positions on the surrounding buildings. The defenders likely believed they were repelling a monster attack.

"DAMN IDIOTS!"

Seraphine's crow dived. She headed straight for the skyscraper's roof, weaving between projectiles.

The others circled overhead. Reidar counted the mounts, Jake and Lena on one, Kara on another, with the remaining Spriggans spread across the rest.

All of them stayed away from the defensive fire; although they could do nothing to Reidar's crows, it was better to not risk scaring even more the poor souls below.

Seraphine's crow landed on the rooftop. She dismounted before the creature fully stopped, raising both hands high.

"Stop firing! It's me!"

The attacks didn't stop immediately. Another volley streaked toward the circling crows. Then the defenders recognized their leader.

Commands echoed across the rooftop. Weapons lowered. Archers stepped back from their positions, and so did mages. The hail of projectiles ceased.

Then she went to talk to someone.

"What do you think they are saying?" Jake asked.

"Most likely, Seraphine is berating John," Kara said.

"John?" He asked.

"The person who ordered to attack us." She sighed. "He is the guards' leader, so his duty is to defend this place."

"He must have mistaken us for monsters," Reidar said. "With all the high-level creatures and flying beasts roaming around the city because of the Church, level 260 monsters must not be uncommon anymore."

"Yeah," Kara made a grim face.

In truth, Kara didn't know that Seraphine had warned everyone not to get on Reidar's nerves.

Then the woman herself waved both arms in broad gestures. It was safe to land.

Reidar guided his crow toward the rooftop.

One by one, they landed. Talons scraped across concrete. Wings folded. The defenders on the rooftop stared at the massive high-level creatures with half-raised weapons, unsure of what to do. They had seen summoned monsters before, but not so huge and not so strong.

Reidar dismounted and stretched his stiff legs. Jake climbed down, supporting Lena's unconscious body. Kara and the other Spriggans did the same.

When they landed, Seraphine approached him. She was followed by a man. He was John, and his level was 77.

<Quite a high level. I'm surprised Seraphine didn't bring him with them to the valley, but it must have been because there would be no one strong enough to defend the place if all their best fighters came.>

"Sorry for the trouble; these guys didn't see us riding the crows."

Reidar nodded. At that point, John stepped forward wearing an apologetic look.

He stopped a few paces away. "We didn't know it was you guys."

"It's fine, John," Seraphine said. "We needed to get back fast; there was no way to contact you, and the crows were the safest and fastest option to come here."

John was not sure how safe the crows were, despite their levels, with such high-level monsters around.

The man's gaze swept across the newcomers. His eyes widened when they fell on Reidar.

—[Reidar Miller—Level 260]—

The color drained from his face. His attention shifted to Jake, then to the unconscious Lena.

—[Jake Roberts—Level 218]—

—[Lena Merridon—Level 247]—

The man took an involuntary step back. He swallowed hard.

"I—we didn't—" He looked at Seraphine. "Are they…?"

"Allies," Seraphine said. "They helped us complete the raid. They're the reason we made it back."

She turned to face the gathered defenders. Most of the gathered defenders were staring at the newcomers with expressions that ranged from awe to outright fear.

Level 260 was something they had never seen before, only in monsters, and only recently. Besides, Jake was level 218 but clearly was an eleven-year-old boy.

"This is Reidar Miller," Seraphine said. "Jake Roberts and Lena Merridon. They're my guests. Anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me personally."

Silence answered her. Nobody moved.

John recovered first. He straightened, squared his shoulders, and faced Reidar.

"I again apologize for the attack," he said. His voice shook slightly, but he held Reidar's gaze. "We've been on high alert. The monsters... we've had three incursions in the past hour. They weren't able to penetrate our barriers, but if we hadn't attacked, they would have just remained nearby. When we saw shapes of that size in the sky, we assumed the worst."

"Understandable," Reidar said. The defensive fire had been competent and coordinated. These people knew how to fight. "No harm done."

John's shoulders relaxed. "I'm John Murmond. Captain of the Spriggan Guard. If there's anything you need—"

"Later," Seraphine said. She looked at her people. "We need some rest."

The Spriggans who had accompanied them on the journey moved toward a stairwell entrance. They carried exhaustion with every step. Two hours of flying after days of constant combat had drained them.

Reidar watched them file through the doorway. Then he turned to Seraphine.

"I need to find my father."

She nodded.

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