Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy Eight - 278Felix peered over the lip of the ridge, down onto the river valley on the other side of the Nymean ruin. The Henaari had built some temporary stairs that were cleverly hidden by more of their Urge Blessingshowever those worked. They had ascended up and over the ruin, able to view the river and crevasse with a bird's-eye view. It was a goodly distance down and the night was dark, but all of their Perception stats were high enough to make most details clear.
And of course, the river was teeming with Reforged.
"Shit," Felix muttered.
There were twenty that he could see, all of them boosted by that ritual they'd performed weeks ago. Just as the ones they faced days before. It was apparently a permanent increase in power, though it made them more unthinking brutes than capable tacticians. That was enough to pummel their way across the river, fighting and killing the various monsters within it, but they'd never pass the illusions ahead of them.
That's what the Arcid's for, Felix supposed. The thing looked like it was made of crude iron, dark and jagged, but it's limbs flowed in the same graceful design as the other Arcids he'd faced. It's chest was huge and wedge-shaped, with large, dark slots bored through it for some reason. It's head, by contrast, was a triangular stump atop it's overdeveloped shoulders and chest.
Voracious Eye.
Name: Arcid - Number 55597
Type: Archonic Construct
Level: 72
HP: 7853/7853
SP: 8199/8221
MP: 6045/6045
Lore: Arcids are twisted creations of sigil, flesh, and metal. They are somehow built by the Archon and enjoy a greater amount of power and autonomy compared to his other creations.
Strength: More Data Required
Weakness: More Data Required
Strong, just like the ones in Haarwatch. Felix quickly relayed its details to the others with him. Evie only narrowed her eyes, while the two Henaari guards and Wyvora gazed at him in horror.
"Level 72? And its Health is above seven thousand?" Wyvora swallowed heavily. "That is monstrous."
"Wait til it pulls out the stops," Evie said. "These things got magic enough to scare Adept Tiers."
"Look," Felix said, nodding down into the valley.
The river began to freeze as more and more of the Reforged entered it, their heavy limbs manifesting axes and clubs of pure ice Mana. Their weapons lashed the water, turning it to slush as it passed through clawed and finned monstrosities hidden below their waists. Then the Arcid followed them across, and it's furnace like body ignited in a storm of orange Mana vapor and black smoke. The openings in its front lit up with white light before belching a five foot wide column of magic flame.
Monsters screeched, wet burbles from the water as it boiled away before the Arcid's onslaught. Even the Reforged leaned away from the light and heat, which stripped the river bare enough for the creature to simply walk across its expanse. Behind it, from the shadows of the forest, Hoarhounds and Wurms followed.
"That's...less than great," Evie said.
"Power like that, that thing'll burn right through the Nymean traps." Felix crouched back down at turned to the Henaari. "We have to run. All of us."
The guards traded a look before glancing at Wyvora. She nodded, slowly. "First, back to the Clan Hall."
The trip back down was much easier, fueled by gravity and a distinct sense of panic. Felix pulled Pit from his Spirit and the tenku brought the lot of them down to the encampment as fast as falling. Pit was getting stronger and he barely balked at the additional weight. They landed at the Clan Hall less than thirty seconds later.
The Synod, Matriarch, and Farwalker were already waiting for them.
"What did you see?" the Matriarch asked. The second set of eyes painted on her forehead were smudged slightly, but her face was otherwise immaculate and her poise unbroken even by news of their boundary being breached. "I do not understand why all of you had to go. Our guards are more than capable of handling some rogue monster."
"It's the Reforged. There's a whole battalion coming for us," Felix said.
Shock and fear flowed over the Synod and the Farwalker nodded as if his fears had been confirmed. "How many exactly?" he asked.
"Twenty of the ice warriors, half that of their hounds, and a number of the earth-tunneling Wurms. They were obscured by the ground so an accurate count is not possible," Wyvora said. "They were led by a much stronger creature, what Felix calls an Arcid."
"Their like lieutenants to the Archon. We've run into them a few times and they're nasty customers," Felix said. He took a steadying breath. "I suggest that you run. They're not gonna be stopped by illusions and a two star Nymean ruin."
More of that fear washed against Felix's senses, but he was glad for it. It meant they were taking this seriously.
"Ridiculous," scoffed the Matriarch. "The Blessings of the Raven are no trifles to be torn apart by a simple fire mage."
"I'm not saying we can't fight back," Felix said, while inside he wanted to scream. They needed to move. "I'm saying all of your people won't survive the encounter. Trust me on that."
"The Arcid alone is at least Tier III, as are the Reforged," one of the guards said. She stood at attention while speaking to her clan's leadership. "My Analyze could not confirm, but they are stronger than any among the guards."
"Then the decision is made for us," the Farwalker said. He turned to include everyone present and raised his voice. "We will flee. Synod, if you will set the signals."
"Yes, honored Farwalker," one of the women responded. The Matriarch stood there, mouth open and brow furrowed, before an explosion sounded. It was muffled and distant, but it set several tapestries waving.
"They've already reached the ruin," Wyvora said.
"What can we do to help?" Vess asked.
"It is under control," the Farwalker said calmly. "Instead, please gather your supplies and meet us at the southern end of the valley."
They did, though there was little enough for Felix's team to gather. He went over their packs, checking supplies, and found that their water and rations had all been replenished at some point. And the promised healing potions and salves were already distributed as well. They didn't kid around when it came to promises.
The lot of them took off, heading south. Around the big tree and the tower that held it aloft, through the ancient paved streets and newly erected arches. It was a shame, having to abandon the work the Henaari had put into their structures, nomads or not.
"Siva's Chords, look at that," Kikri said with a point back at the central tower. The Clan Hall had begun to shimmer with traceries of orange and yellow. In seconds, the high peaked roof crumbled to ash. And it wasn't the only place. All over the encampment, the buildings were falling apart rapidly.
The earth shook again.
"Keep moving, everyone," Felix said.
The earth kept trembling intermittently as the Arcid bulldozed through traps and tunnels in the Nymean cavern, but it took less than a minute for Felix and his team reached the southern end of the valley. There they found a large collection of Henaari, every single one of them was wearing a large pack of supplies, children and the elderly included. The moment Felix arrived, there was no conversation or meaningless chatter, the entire group of approximately fifty people took off toward the cliff face.
Felix found Wyvora in the crowd. "Where is everyone else?" Unless it had been illusions the whole time, there were far more than fifty people in the camp.
"They took the other exits. When a camp is broken early like this, we have a system in place," she said. "We leave nothing behind, and we always have multiple ways to escape."
Felix huffed a breath, impressed.
They kept up a rapid pace that was punishing on those without a focus in Agility. Soon the mages, Vess, and the Haarguard were all puffing along. None of them slackened their pace, focusing instead on keeping together and putting one foot in front of the other. Harn was fine, his Body well used to the exertion even if his Agility wasn't up to snuff. Evie and Pit took to it easily, and the rapid pace they maintained didn't even exceed Felix's Stamina regeneration.