The Redstone Defile erupted into a maelstrom of chaotic battle. From the cliffs above, Argent Excavator players – Seraphina the Frost Mage, Whisperwind the Ranger, and others – unleashed a devastating barrage. [Ice Storms] crackled, slowing and damaging the caravan guards, while volleys of [Explosive Arrows] and [Piercing Shots] rained down, forcing the Explorer's League defenders to huddle behind their interlocked shields and the inadequate cover of the wagons. The League mages countered with [Fire Wards] and desperate healing spells, but the sheer volume of incoming fire was overwhelming.
On the canyon floor, the disciplined Argent Excavator Legionaries advanced relentlessly, their shield wall pushing back against the beleaguered League guards. Steel rang on steel, shouts and cries of pain echoing off the canyon walls. Captain Stonebeard roared, his massive two-handed axe a whirlwind of destruction as he single-handedly held a section of the line against three Legionaries, but even his considerable skill was being sorely tested. The passengers, including the scholars and other non-combatants, cowered behind the sturdiest wagon, terror etched on their faces.
Drake's [Initiate's Twin Blades] a blur of enchanted purple light, assessed the unfolding disaster in a split second. The ranged attackers on the cliffs were a major problem, but the immediate, overwhelming threat was the disciplined line of Legionaries and, crucially, their player leaders who were now descending the scree slopes to join the fray on the ground. He saw Commander Vorlag, directing the assault, his voice cutting through the din, coordinating the Legionaries and his "Steel Vipers" player squad. Kael the Rogue darted through the chaos, looking for openings, while Grak the Berserker charged headlong into the League guards, his massive axe scattering them.
"This is bad. Guards are out-leveled and outnumbered on the ground. Those cliff players are pinning them down. If Vorlag breaks the defensive circle, the passengers are dead. He's the lynchpin. Take him out, and their coordination might shatter."
It was an audacious, almost suicidal plan. Vorlag was seven levels higher, a high-ranking player in a powerful organization, likely geared to the teeth. But Drake trusted his own execution, the raw power of his [Twin Soul Bladesworn] class, and the devastating potential of [Relentless Assault].
Ignoring the Legionaries engaging the main guard line, Drake moved with deceptive speed, using the chaos as cover. He saw Vorlag issue a command, momentarily turning his attention away from the front. This was Drake's chance. He exploded forward, his twin blades leading.
Vorlag spun, his eyes widening in momentary shock, perhaps recognizing the low-level player charging him directly. "You dare face me? Die!" Vorlag unleashed a powerful Marauder skill, as he launched a [Shadow Cleave].
Drake met the high-level attack head-on. [Parry]. << Skill Success! [Parry] SCR 86%! Damage Significantly Reduced!>> << Damage Taken: 75!>>
<< Relentless Assault: +6 Stacks! >>
<< Effect Triggered: [Echoing Steel] - Next [Twin Fang Strike] +10% Crit Chance! >>
"Hits like a damned avalanche, even through the Parry!" Drake didn't waste time. He immediately unleashed his [Basic Attack Combo R/L] (R-100%/L-84%). His Right Hand struck with perfect execution, amplified by [Flawless Strike], landing for ~120 damage. His Left Hand followed seamlessly, dealing ~60 damage. (damage highly reduce in PVP)
Vorlag roared in pain and surprise, the unexpected burst of high damage from a Level 21 player clearly shocking him. He tried to counter, but Drake was already flowing into his next attack, [Twin Fang Strike], empowered by [Echoing Steel]. << Skill Success! [Twin Fang Strike] Critical Hit! >>
<< Vulnerability Exploited! Significant Damage Dealt: ~150! >>
"Impossible!" Vorlag snarled, his confidence shaken as his health bar took a noticeable dip. He was used to shrugging off attacks from lower-level players. This was different. This was relentless, perfectly executed damage.
A nearby Legionary NPC lunged with a spear, trying to aid its commander. Drake, without breaking his offensive rhythm against Vorlag, used another [Parry] with his off-hand blade, deflecting the spear thrust almost contemptuously. << Parry successful! Damage Reduced (from NPC)! >>
He refocused on Vorlag, his twin blades a whirlwind. [Relentless Assault] was climbing with every perfect hit from his main hand and every solid connection from his off-hand. 100 stacks... 200 stacks... 300 stacks... His attack speed visibly increased, his damage per hit escalating. Vorlag, a skilled Level 28 player, found himself struggling to keep up with the sheer speed and precision of Drake's assault. His own powerful abilities were often met by Drake's Parries, which, while still letting significant damage through, prevented one-shot kills and created openings for Drake's devastating counters.
Vorlag tried a defensive maneuver, a [Shadow Fade] skill that should have made him briefly intangible. But Drake, anticipating it through [Perfect Recall] of Marauder class skills (from forum research), used a quick [Blade Dance] not for damage, but for the slight forward momentum and spin to stay on top of Vorlag as he reappeared, immediately resuming his [Basic Attack Combo R/L].
The Steel Viper players – Kael, Seraphina, Grak – seeing their commander unexpectedly locked in a desperate duel with a much lower-level player who was somehow winning, hesitated for a crucial moment, their own attacks on the caravan guards faltering.
Vorlag was now panicking. His health was plummeting under Drake's relentless, perfectly executed assault. [Relentless Assault] was nearing 700 stacks. Drake's blades were moving almost too fast to see, each hit landing for hundreds of damage. << Damage Dealt: ~96! >> << Damage Dealt: 180!>>
"Support me, you fools!" Vorlag shrieked at his Steel Vipers. But it was too late. Drake saw an opening as Vorlag tried to chug a healing potion. He unleashed a final, devastating [Twin Fang Strike]. << Skill Success! [Twin Fang Strike] >> << FATAL BLOW! Damage Dealt: ~250! >>
Commander Vorlag, Leader of the Steel Vipers, froze. His health bar emptied. He looked down at his chest where Drake's twin blades had struck, then up at Drake with an expression of utter disbelief, before his avatar dissolved into particles of light. << Player [Commander Vorlag] Eliminated!>>
<< Loot Acquired: [Vorlag's Marauder Insignia], [Superior Healing Potion] x2, Gold x15! >>
A stunned silence fell over the immediate area of the battlefield, broken only by the distant clashes from the main guard line. The Argent Excavator players stared in disbelief. Their powerful, high-level commander had just been decisively killed, solo, by a Level 21 player.
Kael the Rogue, Vorlag's second-in-command, was the first to react. He saw the morale of his Steel Vipers shatter. He saw the Explorer's League guards, momentarily heartened by the fall of the enemy leader, begin to push back against the now hesitant Legionaries. Their perfectly planned ambush was falling apart. "Vipers! Legionaries! Disengage! Full withdrawal! Scatter and regroup at the fallback point!" Kael yelled, his voice sharp with urgency. He threw down a smoke bomb, and the remaining Steel Viper players turned and fled, using their escape skills to melt back up the cliffs or into the deeper parts of the canyon. The NPC Legionaries, their player commander gone, hesitated for a moment before their ingrained discipline kicked in, and they too began a fighting retreat, their shield wall breaking as they disengaged from the caravan guards.
Captain Stonebeard, seeing the enemy break, roared, "Don't let them get away clean! Harass their retreat! But hold the perimeter around the wagons!"
Drake didn't pursue. He stood, twin blades dripping with Vorlag's fading light particles, his [Relentless Assault] stacks slowly decaying, his own health bar dangerously low from the damage he'd taken through his Parries. He had done it. He had identified the head of the snake and cut it off, shattering the enemy's coordinated assault.
The remaining ranged Excavator players on the cliffs, seeing their ground forces routed and their commander dead, ceased their fire and quickly disappeared from view. Within minutes, the Redstone Defile fell silent again, save for the groans of wounded League guards, the nervous whickering of the draft animals, and the heavy breathing of the survivors.
The Explorer's League caravan was victorious, but battered.