Exile groaned as their advance slowed down. The players were not pacing themselves anymore, as they were too eager to earn points. However, as soon as they depleted their DP, they would try to leave to replenish it. This meant that gaps were starting to appear, allowing the wolves to push back.
Exile called Un and Leggy over and had them deliver a message to the other leaders to control how many players left at a time. If they used up their DP, they had to keep fighting until someone could take their place. This seemed to fix the issue for now, but Exile could see the bigger wolves in the rear starting to pace around. 'They're getting impatient... Those creatures will probably join the fight soon.'
"Exile! I'm a messenger from Aeri. She says to let you know that all Tier 1 players should focus on those wolves as soon as they make their move. She's certain that they will move together and that it will take all of you to defeat them." A player suddenly shouted as she came to a halt nearby, her pink hair fluttering around her.
Exile frowned as he turned his attention towards Aeri in the distance. 'She has a point, but will they turn on me as soon as we defeat them? I'm the only Tier 1 present from the Alliance right now.' He made a mental note to pay attention to their actions towards the end of the fight. After all, he could not really refuse, otherwise, it could cause a worse situation to unfold.
"Tell Aeri I'll help. But tell her to prepare, they look like they'll move soon." Exile growled as he hacked at another wolf.
'So far, these wolves have been unable to hurt me. It seems like I'm now at a stage where I could have safely explored beyond the walls again. As long as I pay attention anyway. The last thing I need is for them to land a strike. My Speed will be nothing compared to theirs...'
Exile knew that he would have to take a somewhat defensive role in the battle when the golden wolves struck. But at least he would have the means to launch a strong offensive at the same time. He slowly backed away from the front line to keep a better eye on his next opponents and preserve his strength.
Here and there, he saw the motes of light rising into the air where players were falling victim to that assault. However, the number of casualties in the alliance's forces was minimal. All in all, the battle was going favourably for the players as they culled those mobs. 'Will the attack fall apart if we defeat the leaders?'
Exile hoped that would be the case. He had enough on his plate without dealing with this as well. That was when he saw it. The pack of golden wolves finally made their move, but they were headed for an area a bit far from where he was. 'Damn!' Exile cursed as he barked out the orders for Leggy, Un and Midas to take charge.
Exile rushed towards the area the wolves were headed to. Ahead of him, Aeri had also broken away from her Pantheon. 'Seems like she's not willing to take a chance to settle things just now.' He half expected her to bring members of her Pantheon along but since that was not the case he could only believe that she intended to fully cooperate against the current threat.
As soon as the golden wolves reached the players, the battlefield became pure chaos. Players were taken down in short order by the group of wolves as they bit deep into the defensive line.
'Why does it look like they've hit a weak spot? Don't tell me they were actually watching how we reacted to them so they could find the easiest point to break through!' It was a dangerous thought, but it certainly seemed to be the case. Every time they started to get comfortable with something, they discovered that there was something more to it.
Exile grit his teeth as he activated Lesser Blessing, giving him a ten point boost to his Speed. The sudden burst of acceleration allowed him to keep up with Aeri so that he was not left behind. Sparks of lightning trailed behind him as he rushed to the new battlefield. Catching the eyes of many present.
The golden wolves continued to bring catastrophe to the area they assaulted as the Tier 1 players finally reached the scene. The others all stared at Exile, who was the only player from the Rebel faction amongst them.
"So, you actually had the guts to come?" A male player with a red mohawk sneered as he glared at Exile.
"That's enough, Severance! We need all the help we can get and this affects all of us. There are five of those things so we're outnumbered and don't know what they are capable of." Aeri growled as she turned to look at the massacre.
"So what do we do, Aeri? We have to work with each other to succeed. So who is going to take on each role?" The female player called Daynah asked as she glanced at Aeri.
"Well, severance and I focus on offensive styles. You're good on support... But..." Aeri's gaze turned towards Exile. He was something of an anomaly and she was unsure what he excelled at now.
"I'll be the tank in this fight. I'll hold the defence so if you're getting pushed back, lure them towards me." Exile declared resolutely. "But remember, this isn't like other games. We don't actually have classes to go off of. So I can't guarantee they'll focus on me. It's best if you give it your all from the start."
Aeri cocked an eyebrow at that statement. For a moment, she had forgotten that the mobs may not react to their impromptu party the way they wanted them to. "Ok, just do your best and try to cover each other... If we fail here we may need to abandon Valheim...."