Peter’s forces were still getting in position as the weevil army poured onto the ninth floor. They scattered through the tunnels and caverns, thankfully dividing their forces. They were clearly not coordinated. Still they were moving quickly. There were two entrances into the large cavern where his forces were congregating. The large cavern would then funnel through a checkpoint to a smaller final cavern. At the far end of the final cavern was the one ramp down to the 10th floor.
Normally, a good 20 B tiers guarded the final cavern. They would join the defense. Unfortunately, it did not appear that he would have access to any essence gathered until the end of the battle or 24 hours from now. The interface was apparently enforcing dungeon battle rules, or at least that one. A shame because he was already past half a million and climbing. He had not even killed any of them yet. If the A tiers had just come to hang out, things would be quite lucrative. For now, however, he could only hope to survive long enough to use it.
If his defense failed and they did destroy his core he would start gaining the essence in 24 hours allowing him to summon units to go on the attack. That would have felt comforting to Peter, but essence would be penalized due to having foreign units or humans on an auxiliary floor. Not to mention his good neighbor could just as easily reinforce whatever survived. Obviously, he was close enough to get forces here in a day or so.
The first bugs came into sight of a large golden armor dragon. They shrieked as they increased their trot to a dead sprint. The golden armor dragon’s body took up nearly the full space at the entrance to the large cavern, where his forces were congregating, and that was the goal. Perhaps it would result in a loss of his S tier pretty early on, but that was what resurrects were for. He had 3 of them left, and would likely burn through them all tonight. If the S tier dragon, the spectral armor, and another excellent defenders could hold one entrance into the large cavern. It would give his powerful attack forces time to kill the others coming from the other way. Unfortunately, they had hit the defensive side first, but the ones coming from the other direction were not far behind.
The golden dragon roared as it reared up. Several white magic beams slammed into its breast. The dragon shrugged them off as it slammed down its front two clawed feet, right on top of the first two weevils. Surprisingly they were not turned into goo. They were crushed down, effectively pinned, but shrieked in protest as they struggled to push back up with their 6 legs. Peter could now see that the carapace for these two was thicker like armor. No wonder they had led the charge.
Others were already scurrying around on the walls or even the roof. The first of which ran right into the spectral armor who tomahawked it off the wall claiming the first kill. A second weevil had slammed against the shield trying to push through the knight, but the animated armor stood fast. Its sword went over and around alongside the long snout, before stabbing down through the neck. Others went past it or to the other side running into other defensible defenders. Gunther and his tempest fowl sent gusts along the roof, which became hurricane force seeking to rip the ones coming on the roof and the upper walls. The strategy was half effective, but just as many had held on and even slowly advanced. It was going to be harder to contain them than Peter had thought.
Then 9 more weevils died all at once as the horde approached his offensive side. The turquoise beetle jumped aside dodging the white speckled beam. Not all of the horde could jump aside. They were too closely packed. The armageddon’s void beam continued on eating through them until it ran out of steam.
The weevils screeched in protest, and surged forward with even more vigor. The turquoise weevil realized it a step too late. Its back shell split and it shot up as the wings underneath beat furiously to try to take the creature airborne. It seemed nearly able to pull free from the black tar that stretched up with it. The front tarsal claw had already been caught fast.
Seconds later more black needle like appendages shot up and into the weevil leader’s body. They stabbed in and started to help pull the creature down. The turquoise leader shot blue energy from its long hooked snout. The black tar of the nightmarish creation rippled as some was burnt off, but the attack was not strong enough to kill an S tier. Not with one shot, and that was the only shot the leader weevil would get. The S tier quickly pulled it back down even as other portions reached for other weevils.
The S tier armageddon dragon met several others even as other tar B tier slimes caught weevils trying to get around.. A host of white lights were already gathering overhead. Seconds later, Glenda’s starfall spell slammed into later ranks of approaching weevils, although several magical barriers sprang up to stop it. There were at least a handful of mages, summoned out of the 500. Plenty of weevils were wounded, but enough had been blocked to keep any A tiers from dying.
The hundred plus slimes and armageddon dragons helped their S tiers halt the assault. Even as more of his own A tiers moved in to keep his B tiers from quickly getting slaughtered. Most of them were brand new A tier summons. A large flame golem with flame whips instead of fingers. An abyssal wraith that flitted through the enemy ranks whipping its scyth through weevil after weevil. An exterminator orc. A large pig snouted humanoid that wore a mask but shot out electricity instead of poisonous gas. Several spiders that had climbed over the melee on the ceiling before launching themselves at their target. It was as varied and chaotic as his earlier battles, except the units on both sides were of far higher tiers.
Casualties racked up on both sides quite quickly. Peter could accept most of them, since for the most part they were either freshly summoned or the one off B tiers. However, when a true champion fell… Peter did not even see it happen, just the aftermath. He felt his heart sink seeing spectral armor down on the stone. The unit had more elite kills than perhaps anyone but the Armageddon dragon, yet the armor now lay there its front breast plate rent open like it had been hit by a can opener.
Peter saw the likely culprit. A weevil that stood upright on its thicker back legs while its front four legs blurred swinging flail like appendages. Each apparently was as sharp as a sword and could continually rotate 360 degrees. The bug elite was currently squaring off against an Abyssal wolf who was nimbly dodging as the scythes whipped all around it. The wolf seemingly could not find a way to counter. It shied away until another weevil attacked it from the side. The flail weevil then moved on to a new opponent. This time Peter knew the elite.
The half off hippo felt no hesitation. It charged right through the storm of sharp weapons which still scored deeply in its blubbery side, but the damage did not stop the pachyderm from closing in and tearing the weevil apart. The hippo was seriously wounded, but was still in better shape than when it had been poisoned by too much venom in the last battle. It charged into another weevil that jabbed its long snout like a swordfish. The blade carved along the back of the hippo, but once again it did not stop the hippo elite. The swordfish snout weevil fell in short order.
Peter watched it all. He had 3 resurrects, and he was honestly tempted to save spectral armor. The A tier was potentially the best A tier he had, but he could not quite pull the trigger. Both his S tier dragons were still being swarmed. He would almost definitely have to revive both of them. That left only 1 more, and already there were some other serious contenders for the other two.
The Nightmarish creation was proving itself to be an excellent choice, clearly better than even the spectral armor. The armageddon dragon had fallen back and now the creation held the choke point between caverns nearly by itself. The turquoise skull of the weevil leader had been incorporated. Blue energy flashed as the S tier used the addition to shoot out a blue beam. Other sickle like claws had also been incorporated and whipped back and forth keeping itself from being swarmed. Another white void beam shot from behind the creation claiming another 2 weevils. The dragon had not fully recharged its pool of void energy.
By all appearances they were doing quite well. The weevil numbers had been cut practically in half, but Peter had lost a third of his A tiers. A good 75% of his new freshly summoned B tiers had also fallen. The holy armor dragon was not going to be able to retreat like the armageddon dragon. It was so cut up and wounded despite its high defense and self healing, along with Michael’s healing, that Peter would have to use his first resurrect card soon.
When the S tier dragon fell it would be like the second dam burst allowing the weevils to pour into the large cavern. Already some were trickling past joining those from the other side. Michael’s call rang forth clearly, as he magically amplified it. Units like the half off hippo fell back. Others like the S tier dragon remained behind. There were too many enemies around for it to let its guard down.
Michael had retreated from healing the holy armor dragon and was now working to organize a defense at the far end of the room. In front of the checkpoint leading to the final cavern. Along with the few remaining other sigil masters and surviving B tier holy armor dragons, he worked to heal the worst of the defenders. They targeted those that holy energy would for sure heal in lieu of the dozens of strange bizarre units falling back. Holy power did not work on units including undead or reanimated like the spectral armor. Who could say about the fully abyssal or void type units still running around, but units like Half off hippo got a healthy dose of golden aura that restored the worst of things.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
A moment later a weevil with white energy launched toward the holy armor dragon. The dragon was distracted dealing with others. The bug hit like a comet on the breast plate. It burrowed right through the golden plate. Soon blood flowed around the insect halfway stuck in the dragon’s chest. The dragon crashed down a second later, the weevil was already working to extricate itself. Peter immediately used a resurrect.
The next sight brought a smile to Peter’s face despite the present circumstances. A purple flash slammed into a weevil, causing it to crash down. Through his monitor of their defenses, he caught Delilah cheering, holding the five foot long rifle in hand. It was her first A tier to bring down, at least as far as Peter was aware. The moment passed as the mass of weevils started hitting the awaiting defenses in high numbers.
At the front of his force were all the surviving C tier infantry along with the 20 B tier mining Apes and the majority of the other B tiers. They were basically a wave break against the elite bug units that tore through them with gusto. However, hundreds of infantry had impaled weevils at the ends of their spears, and the large B tier apes were ripping legs off of weevils with ease. More importantly the weevil forces' forward movement stalled as only a quarter of their force could reach the enemies at a time. That amount would further decrease as they pushed further into the choke point. Of course if they hit the choke point a good 1,000 C tiers and the majority of their surviving B tiers would be dead, so the defenders did not give ground willingly.
Glenda and other mages drained what manna they had remaining to cull as many as possible. Once again a few magic barriers protected the bugs for the most part, at least from Glenda’s starfall. But the abyss attack that rained down next killed 5 of the wounded in one go.
Peter shook his head. If these weevils were at all organized, his forces would not have stood a chance. It was clear the weevil core had just thought to send an overwhelming force. For most rookies fresh from a year’s battle, it probably would have been more than enough. However, Peter had a relative ton of original A tier cards in his back pocket, including 60 abyss and dragon cards, or… well he had.
The 28 dragons were basically going to be his last trump card in this battle. They had for the most part been kept in reserve. They would engage anything that came through the chock point with flame or just check them with their bodies. What remained of his defenders could trickle through in between. It was seeming more and more likely that the dragons would have to step up soon.
C tiers had dropped like flies, and even the B tiers were being killed to the last unit. The spent mages already started falling back to hopefully recover enough manna for the final stand in the smaller chamber right before the down ramp. The other support sigil masters fell back and finally Delilah who had stayed as long as possible to fire one more shot. His defenders had been unorganized for the most part, but Michael had been smart enough to station the last of the B tier nightmarish creations inside the actual checkpoint. They covered the floor and lower walls after the last of those that could retreat made it past them.
Even as B tiers the tar-like units, could easily delay things for a time, buying his forces much needed time to get situated. They were still working to delay, when the first of the weevils made it through by fluttering above the task saturated slimes. Instead weevils scrambled over the backs of those caught emerging through the checkpoint into the final chamber. They were met by gouts of flame. Eight of the freshly summoned dragons had flame breathing ability. They kept the opening covered in pairs of two. As two dragons flames trickled to a stop, two others picked it up.
Weevils were being fried as they entered. More than a dozen died as they unceremoniously entered the chamber. The flames kept anything from getting passed for nearly a minute, before the ability to produce fire was lost to the eight. The flames flickered out leaving one flaming weevil chittering forward. Seconds later dozens of others poured in behind it, as the dragons got ready to fight them physically.
The 25 freshly summoned dragons did not receive much help as they roared and engaged the smaller weevils. All the support mages and healers were already running on fumes. Even the other melee fighters were wounded and exhausted, but not one weevil made it out as the dragons fought savagely. It looked like they would be able to stall things for quite a while.
“Master look at this,” one E tier called out, throwing his screen up on an unused front screen.
What was shown was not something he had expected. Two surviving spiders were up on the cavern roof. One had a gnome and the other had a clockwork doing their best to remain on the spider's back, while they situated web bundles on the roof. It was Greg and Gearhead. What was in the bundles was not surprising. It was probably every scrap of enriched magnesium that had not been expended in the previous battle. They were setting up a crude trap. Not a bad idea, Peter was not quite sure how effective it would be, but it would be used soon. The dragons were falling under greater numbers. They could not stall things for much longer.
A good seven minutes passed before the weevils broke through the dragons in mass. The last 3 living dragons fought on as islands as the sea of weevils continued on. Gearhead and Greg lit their payloads and were almost blown off their mounts as the rock flared brightly. They likely had burns at the very least. Seconds later the flaming rocks poured down. Falling 40 feet was not enough to pierce through an A tier bug's tough exoskeleton, but the rocks burnt hot and were highly concentrated. It created a floor of coals that even A tiers would have to be weary to cross over.
A few were killed due to being surrounded by the flaming rocks, far more were merely wounded as they crossed over the flaming rocks. The weevils that were already ahead of when the rocks fell were already engaging his final defenses. The weevil numbers had been reduced to the two digits rather than three, but there were clearly fewer defenders.
The armageddon dragon, freshly healed, held off one side of the cavern. Other melee fighters like the half off hippo, a large gray skinned undead humanoid, and a pair of crustaceans occupied the other side. They were all fighting savagely. The dungeon’s continued existence was far from their mind. Each was just struggling to remain alive.
Crows scattered over the remaining weevils savaging them with their poisoned talons. The weevils paid them little head as they focused on the far more dangerous enemies in front of them. Peter could only hope that the poison would weaken them further. Gnther and tempest fowl kept up a storm of wind to keep at least the ceiling and upper walls clear. A crucial role since it kept units from dropping in the midst of his defenses.
Five minutes later, a third freshly summoned A tier bone warrior ran up the ramp from the tenth floor. The ritual summoning fairy had done what it could to support his forces. Now that the battle was winding down he swapped to the minute ritual for B tiers. Peter was doubtful that many of them would make it to the fight.
Both sides were approaching the single digits. The Armageddon dragon had fallen, forcing Peter to use his second resurrect card. The spirit catcher dragon had also gone down. Peter contemplated for nearly half a minute before using up the third and final one. He really wanted to maintain that capability despite the S tier being a bit lackluster overall. Still that left any others that died uncovered.
And there were quite a few that were under threat that were deserving. The half off hippo although only an A tier was fighting admirably as was the nightmarish creation fighting right beside it. The S tier tar monster was still using the turquoise weevil skull, constituting half of its form into the upper half of a humanoid like body supported by a wider base puddle.
It was hard to tell, but the S tier did not seem to be doing well. Its movements were slow and sluggish. These two were the last of the physical fighters, at least until the bone encrusted warrior joined the fray. The weak A tier was a welcome addition to the weakened defenders.
Behind the line was Glenda, Michael, Delilah, along with a few freshly summoned A tier mages. Gearhead stood there fresh and ready for battle. Greg was leaned against the back wall clutching the stump that had been his arm. Gnther along with his tempest fowl mount were hovering above doing their best to keep the bugs off the ceiling. It had kept the battle to more of a 2 D front up till this point, but seeing that the attackers were dwindling down, they started attacking weevils directly.
The bone warrior was able to claim an A tier before it died. A new B tier summon had already arrived to take its place, and the ritual for the next was well under way. Khan, Delilah, and a handful of other dark elves were forced to step up to take the hippo elite's place when the large pachyderm went down. These were dark elves that had been summoned early on year 2. Most of which had been mainstays of the dark elf village. Most of the stronger A tier moon elves from the moon elf village had already fallen. People that he was more than just aware of. He had interacted with many.
Peter watched helplessly as the dark elves fought. Most had been firing their bows in support, but now they fought with swords and spears. The weevil numbers had reached the single digits, so he did not think his dungeon core would be under threat. That did not matter now. Delilah was back in the thick of it trying to hold off something that was far stronger than her with a pair of two long knives. Fortunately it looked that the remaining weevils were all weary and wounded themselves. It was probably the only reason his spent forces were not being overrun.
Khan got stabbed right through the gut and unceremoniously flung against the wall where he crumpled into a heap. Delilah had used the opening to stick both knives into the side of the beetle's head. The weevil whipped its snout slicing into Delilah’s side before flinging her into the wall opposite khan.
A freshly summoned B tier arrived to take on another wounded weevil alongside the struggling C tier dark elves that still remained. Based on the way the fairy was resting down on its knees, its blue aura faint, this would be the last unit summoned for this battle. Glenda was able to gain just enough manna for a weak attack. It was enough.
The nightmarish creation used the opportunity to assassinate both weevils it had been fighting. Only 4 weevils were left, not counting the 2 that Gnther and his mount were dealing with. The tar being could keep all 4 of them occupied as the rest of the weary forces helped to put them down.
