Chapter 33 - Volume 1
TL: Yup. Busy. Many assignments. Need your eyes. Check mistakes. May check errors on weekend if schedule permitting.
Chapter 33 – Before the assault
Brendel looked at the steep slope that was shaped like a knife, then turned back to Romaine and let her wear the Ring of Spiderweb. He realized that her perception was surprisingly high, and letting her wear this ring would increase her ability.
Romaine had spied on the beautiful ring with black and white patterns for a long time, and was naturally happy to receive it. But she still asked curiously: “Is this a magic ring too, Brendel?”
“Mmm. It allows you to hear better. So pay attention and if there is any commotions, inform Freya. I’ll be back very soon.”
In this valley, there were another monster besides the Golden Demonic Tree that was of considerable danger, a Rock Wurm. It was a rare elite that came from the side effects of the mana imbalance. During the first time it appeared in the game, Brendel nearly ended up being defeated by it.
“There are other enemies?” Both of them spoke at the same time.
“There might be, doesn’t it pay to be careful?” He did not want to act like a clarvoyant as it was not going to be easy to explain things in the future if he chose that path, so he chose to answer in vague manner.
“Let’s put it this way, if we are going to be late for two hours, we will be running against the undead army.” He looked at Romaine: “We might reach the fortress a little earlier, but there would be little time left.”
“If we destroy the tree we will save time?”
“There is a hidden passageway behind which was used by merchants in the past to avoid the checkpoints. I have seen it in the Bruglas’s city documents, when I was still a militia.” He lied without skipping a heartbeat. There was no falsehood about the passageway though, since it was knowledge from the game.
“Is the tree dangerous?” He pointed towards it.
“Incredibly dangerous. It’s 50/50.” Brendel answered gravely. Even though he wanted to gamble and finish the Golden Demonic Tree, but he had to tell the the girls the truth about the risk they are taking.
In a party, everyone had to make a choice about their lives, no one could force another. The basic rules in The Amber Sword.
Freya went silent.
“Romaine, are you fine with it?”
Romaine shook her head: “I liked adventuring. My life was meant to do meaningful things.”
Freya took back her gaze on her and nodded: “I understand. Brendel, please bring us to defeat it. Even if we are to fail, I will also not regret it.”
He grinned. He did not expect Freya’s reaction to be so big: “You don’t need to be so polite about this, I’ll tell you how to defeat it. But we need to settle the patrol team. Six Demonic Trees, we are familiar with them already but we need to end it in an instant.”
He brought them to the wall opening’s edge. They could see the monsters clearly. He circled an area: “We will sneak over there and launch an attack with my gesture. Before we fight we should take it slowly, and we cannot let them discover us.”
“We still have at least half an hour, so we don’t need to hurry.”
“Freya.”
“Yes.”
“Romaine and I will attack from the right, while you hide below that boulder on that left side. When we launch an attack, you will attack the two that are at the very back. Do you remember their weaknesses?”
Brendel wanted Romaine on her side to protect her, and ease Freya’s pressure. That merchant lass did not have any combat strength.
She nodded. The Demonic Trees’ weaknesses were at their four limbs, because their sensory organs were on the four of them. If they lost their limbs there were not a threat. But she was a little tense. The way how they handled these trees from before were schemes based on surprise, like falling boulders or something, but it was a frontal assault now. She was not worried about Brendel’s capabilities, but was she able to do so? Freya was uncertain.
He glanced at her and knew what she was thinking. Every newbie had the same problem, and even though Freya should be considered a ‘NPC’, but she was probably no different. He thought for a while, and spoke encouragingly: “You don’t need to worry too much, your armor limits them by a lot, and you should attack aggressively.”
She nodded.