Lotus turned the wagon into an oversized ore cart, but cloth with high sides to keep the kids from falling out. The silk was stretched tight between the two ends of the long wagon, while the back was open so they could climb in without being lifted over the sides.
Fifty kids were a lot to put in one wagon, even when over half of them were Satyrs, who weren’t large even when they were fully grown.
But after half an hour of construction and Tessa getting all the kids fed, they had them loaded and ready to move.
Nothing else had attacked the survivors at the next farm, and Karl was fairly sure there was room in the wagon for them, even if they needed to lay down for a while. The kids had learned that they could dangle their arms over the sides to see out, and the cloth of the walls would support most of their weight.
This method actually turned out to be smoother riding than the hard wooden wagon, as the silk had some stretch to it, so the riders simply bounced and weren’t harshly jostled as Thor jogged through the fields.
Thor took them straight to the half dozen survivors at the next farm house, and Tessa began healing even before the wagon stopped.
“Sir, might I ask what you are doing? The children were safe underground.” The juvenile Troll asked as they approached.
Karl could see that he had a soldier’s uniform on, but the five Commander Rank Minotaurs were all farmers.
“There was no food or water in there. We are relocating them to safety outside the incident, or to a farm that has the capability to protect against the aftermath of this tragedy.
There is one behind us with a General on site and multiple Royal Rank soldiers. We held the position with no losses, so there should be others who have gathered their neighbours.” Karl replied.
That was what this group had tried, but none of them were Royal Rank, so when they faced a Royal Rank Cyclops the first night, they had lost half of the nearby families before it had been stopped, and the second night was even worse.
The Minotaurs glared at Karl as he implied that they were less competent than their neighbours. They knew who he meant because there were only two Royal Rank Minotaurs within thirty kilometres of them. There were some strong Commanders, but only the two old Royals lived nearby.
What they didn’t know was that there were others who just didn’t leave the house often anymore, and one that had been travelling when the incident started. But they had all ended up at Karl’s location.
Karl addressed the survivors again when nobody had anything else to say about him collecting the children. “The War Cleric has healed the worst of your wounds. Are you going to come with us? We will take everyone to relative safety. Once the army or a local force clears the area, those of you with families can return home to rebuild.”
They turned to each other and nodded. “We will come with you. The six of us aren’t enough to handle what is out here, so we will need to find a larger group anyhow. Travelling with you to defend the children seems like the best course of action.”
Karl nodded, while the kids seemed nervous. Most of them seemed to recognize these people, but after a few seconds, Karl realized what the issue was. They were all wondering where their families had gone.
They had been safely locked in a cellar and didn’t know that the defenders had taken such gruesome casualties, as the bodies were not out in the open.
“Load up and we will get going. There isn’t much room, but if you need to bring any essentials, you can hang bags from the corner posts.”
They just shook their heads and got in the wagon, swaying awkwardly until they realized only the edges were stable.
Thor had just started moving again when a massive blast of power in the distance nearly knocked him off his feet. The power sent Hawk tumbling through the air for a dozen kilometres, and knocked Ophelia to the ground while Karl slid backwards five metres.
The buildings to their northwest were entirely levelled, and there was a mist of blood in the air near the horizon.
Whatever had gotten too close had been obliterated, but Karl had no idea what had happened.
Cara and Dana both sensed the next blast coming and put up a barrier to defend against it.
Cara’s wall of obliterate failed a split second after Rae and Karl both built [Earth Shield] walls to protect the group. The first fell, but the second held and Dana’s barrier shifted the remaining energy over their heads.
“What in the seven hells was that?” Lotus complained.
[Totem] all of the beasts thought at the same time.
“There are Totem Rank leaders fighting in the distance. I can only imagine the damage that they have inflicted on their surroundings if we’re being hit this hard from over thirty kilometres away.” Karl relayed.
“Other side.” Tessa warned.
Karl put the shield all around them, making a dome, while Rae focused on the direction she sensed the attack coming from.
This blast was much closer, and Cara’s barrier was the one that protected them after both stone walls failed.
This time they could see the cloud of blood and ghostly mist in the air, then the shift in energy as the combatants moved dozens of kilometres between skills.
[The Emperor caught the Haint.] Remi surmised.
It felt like their energy, but the question was: How anyone was expected to survive this?
Then the sense of power faded as they made a larger move, taking the fight elsewhere.
{ALL civilians take shelter underground.} A magical voice boomed over the area.
“A little late for that. They’ve been and gone.
But on the bright side, most of the boars and Cyclops are dead now.” Karl joked, hoping to ease the tension in the air.
“What is gone?” The young troll asked.
“The Emperor is having a disagreement with Councilwoman Leafa. Or at least, that’s what it feels like.” Karl offered.
“How does that explain anything?” Ophelia asked, and Karl realized that the Oracle hadn’t explained anything to anyone else.
“Councilwoman Leafa may have reached the Totem Rank, and she is somewhat of a free spirit. I don’t have any real details, but when she left our location, it was assumed she was planning to go overseas on vacation.
An unauthorized vacation, it seems. Hopefully, it doesn’t get too out of hand.”
[Overhead] Hawk warned as he ducked into his space.
“All barriers up. Thor, we’re counting on you to protect the little ones.”
Hawk coated Rae’s stone wall with [Ghostfire Body] while Karl used [Flaming Body] on his for extra safety.
Then Cara put all her energy into [Nullify], hoping to dissipate some of the energy that was coming at them.
From only a few thousand metres overhead, the blast was overwhelming. Karl felt all the barriers shatter, even with his whole group pouring everything they had into them.
Then a massive Troll crashed into the ground with a victorious smile on his face, and a branch in his hand.
“You bitch, I’ve got you now.” He snarled as magical chains began to wrap around the Haint.
Leafa’s face turned to face Karl, and he could have sworn that she winked at him before she was engulfed in purple magical chains, and her aura began to drop, returning to the Overlord Rank.