"We need to keep moving," Reidar said. "The noise will attract scavengers. And if there are more of these things around, I would rather not be here when they show up."

"We're not resting?" Jake asked.

"We rest when we're safe," Reidar said.

He turned and started walking toward the edge of the clearing. He needed to find a spot to invest in new perks.

The [Necrotic Feedback] skill on the baton had been more effective than he anticipated, but it was messy. He needed to refine the timing.

"Reidar," Lena said.

He looked at her.

"We leveled up," she said. "Jake is 337. I'm 346."

Reidar nodded. "We will need more, though."

He didn't say it to be cruel. He said it because it was true. Ashwick wasn't going to be a forest brawl. It was going to be a siege against an enemy that likely knew they were coming.

Reidar summoned the ravens again. The Sky-Hunters took to the air, forming a protective perimeter while the group mounted up.

As they rose above the treeline, Reidar looked back at the clearing. The bodies of the Colossi were already attracting the smaller scavengers of the forest.

<Luckily we got out of here fast.>

He felt a sense of relief wash over him. The fight had pushed their levels up significantly, which was what they needed given the kind of enemies they were facing.

Each level brought him closer to keeping his family safe. Every increase in power improved his odds of surviving an encounter with Silas.

At Level 339, Silas would kill him easily. He would be a serious contender in a battle at Level 350. At Level 360, victory might be within reach—assuming he had enough summons, though building up his proficiencies would take considerable time.

He needed more powers, and so did the others.

"Let's go," Reidar said. "We have more hunting to do."

…

…

…

The same night, as they got far enough away from the battlefield, Jake, Lena, and Reidar sat around a fire.

The forest lay still; its nighttime sounds were subdued by Reidar's army circling the area. The creatures patrolled specifically to draw monsters away from the camp.

The Church of Unbinding must have opened quite many portals in that area, because the number of high-level monsters was anomalous even given the current situation.

Reidar was staring at the flames, turning the Void-Caller's Baton over in his hands.

"We're getting close," Lena said, noticing Reidar's restless demeanor.

"We are," Reidar said while he kept playing with his weapon. "According to the information the survivors gave us, Ashwick is just over that ridge."

He pointed to the dark shapes of the hills and peaks in the distance.

"Do you think we are ready? I honestly don't think we are," Jake said. He was looking at the ring on his finger, twisting it nervously. It looked like Reidar wasn't the only nervous one.

Reidar looked at him. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I remember Aaron," Jake said. He didn't look up. "He was at Level 299, and despite the slight level difference and a trait on my part, he almost killed me. Silas is at Level 370. And he has an army. And a fortress."

Jake stopped twisting the ring. "We're stronger than before, yeah. But are we strong enough?"

Reidar didn't answer. He couldn't lie to the kid. Logical consistency required he acknowledge the risk.

Being powerful wasn't just a matter of levels, but given the situations Reidar and the others were in, it almost looked like it, and that was a problem.

The group had to focus on the levels because the difference in levels was too high. Skills could bridge a brief level gap, but when the gap was too large, skills became irrelevant.

"No," Reidar said. "We're probably not strong enough to kick the front door down and kill everyone inside without risking our lives or taking losses."

Jake looked up, surprised at the honesty.

"Then what do we do?"

"We cheat," Reidar said.

He picked up a stick and drew a circle in the dirt.

"This is Ashwick. The survivors said the walls absorb mana. That means we can't summon outside, and we can't bombard it from there."

He drew a line coming from the circle.

"But walls work both ways. If they block mana from coming in, they also block mana from going out. That means they are blind to anything happening right on the edge of the dampening field."

Reidar looked at Lena.

"You said we would try to sneak summons in."

"You are right," Reidar said. "But I was thinking about it. There are few chances that the walls had crevices, holes, or whatever that allowed me to bring the summons inside. So, we don't need to sneak them in. We just need to get the door open."

"Do you think the dampening effect doesn't work there?"

"Most likely not," Reidar said. "They need people to enter the base, but that means they need the ability to use magic for whatever purpose they have in mind, be it defensive, offensive, or restraining, so I don't think the gates have the mana dampening effect around them, at least not enough for the guards not to be able to use mana."

He paused.

"But even if what you say is true, how do we force them to open the gate?" Lena asked. "The gate will be reinforced. And guarded."

"That I need to see, but there were other things I had in mind that might give us a chance."

He paused.

"We ourselves are not going for the gate. That will be our summons role. No, we are going for something else," Reidar said.

"Don't tell me."

Lena's face turned ashen.

"We're going for the drainage."

Silence ensued.

"The drainage?" Jake asked. "Isn't that where poop goes?"

"Ashwick has to have a drainage system," Reidar said, nodding to Jake's question. "It's a fortress. It houses thousands of soldiers. They need water, and they produce waste. That waste has to go somewhere."

Jake's face twisted. "You're serious about the sewer plan."

"The walls are expensive," Reidar said. "The dampening stone is a limited resource. They wouldn't waste it lining every pipe and drainage channel. That's inefficient. The structural integrity of the walls themselves would be compromised if they carved out space for the pipes, and even if they did, the cost would be astronomical."

He paused, considering the logistics.

"If the sewers exist, they're unshielded and likely part of the original city on which the fortress had been built upon. That means I can get a Vorathid Sky-Hunter inside. I shrink them down to the size of a fly, send them through the pipes, drainages, or whatever, and if the creatures don't get sent to oblivion, then it grows back to full size inside the base."

"And if the mana stones' effect reaches even there? Or if the drainage had been closed?"

Lena asked.

Reidar met her eyes.

"Then we go through ourselves."

"That's disgusting," Jake said.

"It's the only chance we have," Reidar said.

Lena leaned forward. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Reidar didn't reply.

"And then? What after we are inside? One monster won't take the city," Jake pointed out. "

"I'm not going to send one creature, and even if I do," Reidar said. "It turns back into a Level 358 monster inside their bathroom, or their kitchen, or their barracks. One monster screaming and spitting acid inside the base will draw a lot of attention. It will pull guards away from the walls for a brief second. It will cause panic, and that will give my other summons enough time to open the gates so that we can go in. Of course, if the Vorathid sky hunters can enter. If that doesn't work, we can try blasting the gates ourselves."

He threw the stick into the fire.

"And then, you know, we get in."

It wasn't a perfect plan. It relied on assumptions about the city's construction. It relied on assumptions about its defenders. The plan was feasible, but of course, the group needed more information.

"We scout the place tomorrow," Reidar said. "If the pipes are shielded, we find another way."

He looked at Jake.

"We're going to win this, Jake."

Jake managed a wan smile. "Okay. Sewers it is."

"I don't like this at all," Lena said.

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