Half a month later…
Garbed in her distinctive blood red armor and her hair and eyes of the same color exposed for all to see, Mary hovered above a small cliff while she observed her spawns go to work.
A small distance below and away from her position, two Spellbreaker knights stood back to back and fought off the bat swarm threatening to drown them in their fangs.
Unlike the three "shriveled to the bone" mercenaries laying dead nearby, the knights proved exactly why they'd held the upper hand in this plane for so long.
They swung their brightly lit longswords around, cutting down multiple of the spawns with each strike all while defending themselves with their energy shields and thick, well made armor.
The occasional flame shaped crescent would also fly out, bisecting a row of the creatures and whittling down their numbers even further and reducing the size of the shadows that threatened to drown them.
Though her blood converts died in droves, the vampire wasn't the least bit worried as she moved her gaze in another direction, one that led deeper into the woods. These spawn mostly consisted of ordinary humans, the most impressive of them being Advanced Apprentice.
Their deaths would not cost her in the slightest, hence she ignored them and the knights entirely to focus on the multiple lines of feedback the Magic Eyes in the distance sent to her.
This reconnaissance spell in addition to the real time updates from her embraced scouts gave her unparalleled information superiority in a fifteen kilometer radius.
She knew the precise location of everyone and everything in this range, allowing her to target a good number of the numerous witcher knights squads combing the forest for their base.
When the two Dragon Knights returned Rissana to the dragon cliff so that the dragon elders could tend to her wounds, these more experienced ones quickly deduced that the invaders were from the world of Adepts.
They were the only faction that resorted to such cruel and unusual means in the wide multiverse. Coming into contact with their handiwork once or twice was enough for anyone to recognize it anywhere else.
It went without saying, the reputation of Adepts in the wider galaxy was so infamous and unsettling that the dragons wasted no time in sending back the news to the witcher knights higher ups, spurring them on to preemptive action.
From the descriptions of the dragons, the invasion of the heretic Adepts in this plane was not a new occurrence. In fact, it was an established practice that most if not all powerful members of their society engaged in.
In their eyes, the low and middle tier planes were all resource sites waiting to be claimed and harvested. For the knights whose wealth of experience was tied to their plane, the thought of their home being compared to a mine or farm greatly disturbed them.
According to the information sent by the dragons, if they didn't find the heretic Adepts and stop them from sinking their ensnaring roots into the plane, all hope would be lost.
When that happened, not just their mines, precious jewels or rare herbs would be excavated until nothing remained, their people too would be reduced to slaves for the rest of eternity. Freedom would be a thing of the past.
So it wasn't hard to see why the knights, despite Greem and company's crippling attack on Rissana, despite the fact that they were still rallying, despite the fact they were still gathering resources, and despite the fact they didn't have a precise location on the forward base, still sent their men into the forest in droves.
The numerous high altitude sweeps by the other dragon knight and Ysondre had yielded no results other than the fact that the Adepts were somewhere in the forest's larger and wider southern end.
Having no other choice, the knight higher ups paired their subordinates together with adventurers and mercenaries and sent them on arduous journeys into the Greenland forest and its treacherous depths.
In response to this, Keoghan and a few of the reinforcements sent over by the clan banded together and spent many days and nights and a lot of the clan's resources pushing out voodoo beast after voodoo beast.
It was nearly impossible to come across an unaltered wild beast in the forest now, almost all of them caught by the Adepts and transformed into an army that held back the tide that was the knights.
The expansive floor of the Greenland forest experienced multiple waterings of blood and flesh, the clashes between the Adepts, voodoo beasts, and knights always ending in slaughterfests.
Great losses were incurred on both sides, though objectively speaking, the knights suffered more due to the voodoo beasts and the steamrolling of squads that mostly consisted of and were led by the low-level witcher knights.
Though they could face and exterminate any voodoo beasts they encountered, the witcher knights were like sheep before any Adepts that targeted them. They died every single time, and the casualties after the first few days put the knights on edge.
In response to this, the knight leaders switched things up, making the Spellbreaker knights the leaders and making sure there were at least two on each squad.
Not to be left in the dust, the Adepts also adapted, some forming groups of two to face these enhanced squads so they could maintain their kill streaks. Others went off on their own, and though their success was varied, they killed enough Spellbreakers to warrant another change in tactics on the knights' end.
Now instead of regular Spellbreakers, Radiant knights were added to the mix. And instead of letting them boldly lead the squads, the older and more experienced knights switched their special armor for the ones their younger brethren wore.
This deceptive tactic led to the deaths of three of the thirteen Adepts tasked with slowing the advance of the knights. So now, instead of the brazen attacks, the Adepts had to carefully study the squads before making any rash moves.
Others, like Mary, who had already seen through the deception the duo fighting her spawns, worked with another Adept to lure the Radiant knight away so she could pounce on the Spellbreaker knight.
While they fought back to back, the older of the two knights kept shifting his eyes to her, wondering why she hadn't attacked yet. He followed her gaze and looked in the direction her head was turned, finding nothing of note there.
Impatient and certain she had no intent to join the fight, he let out a shout, his restrained aura climbing as he slashed down in her direction, the blinding radiance of runic energy engulfing his sword.
A bright crescent of the white energy sliced through the distance towards Mary, the agile vampire vanishing from her position like a phantom and reappearing in the sky above with her wings flared wide.
A brilliant explosion of light accompanied the collision and detonation of the Crescent Moon Slash, the cliff blasted apart by the high concentration of 150 points of energy.
For reference, this casual attack could be likened to the might of an rpg, and the damage it did to Mary's previous position showed that perfectly, the protruding section of the cliff she stood no longer there or intact.
It had been reduced to swirls of brown dust and splintered, chunky rocks, the loud rumbling of the mini avalanche that ensued being the only audible thing for a few seconds.
Her disdain projected through her expression and luminous crimson eyes, Mary observed the settled rocks and the fading dust, her hopes dashed as the Radiant knight and the Spellbreaker clawed their way out the mess without any significant injuries.
While they retreated from the site, the middle aged knight stood straight and let his younger colleague relax, his entire body lighting up with the unique radiance of runic energy.
He stood there and observed Mary, wondering why the latter hadn't retreated since she knew she had no chance of facing him and coming out the victor. The sudden cries of battle and bursts of runic energy from the direction she'd been facing this whole time answered his question.
"It's him! The Unknown One. It has to be!" the young spellbreaker who'd forced himself upright with the help of a tree, exclaimed in shock and looked to his superior.
Ever since these skirmishes began, the two sides had grown more knowledgeable about each other, moreso for the knights since the Adepts were more varied in their expertise.
They knew enough about everyone of the surviving Adepts to form a threat and ability assessments save for one. None of the knights had met him or her and lived to tell the tale.
As a result, they had nothing to go on regarding his appearance and abilities. They didn't even know the Adept's gender. What they did know was that their battlefields were the most silent and quickly cleared and looted, any screams dying down quickly, and every corpse burnt to nothing.
So when the knight duo heard the screams only to hear them cut off sharply, they looked at each other and the Radiant knight began a sprint at his fastest speed toward the battle in the distance.
He didn't get very far, Mary taking advantage of his absence to help herself to the meal left behind.
As someone higher in the knights hierarchy, the Radiant knight was aware of the knights' distribution in the forest. The two facing the Unknown One were Spellbreakers.
They were going to die like the thirty six others before them if he didn't intervene. Just the thought of so many young ones dead compared to the paltry three of the heretics spurred him on.
If he could set eyes on the illusive heretic and even cut him down that would be all the better. Unfortunately for him though, he'd overlooked one thing and underestimated the craftiness of his opponents.
He hadn't forgotten about Mary at all. He'd been on guard as he moved, waiting for her to try and stop him from going to aid his companions. Who knew that she'd indeed move but not toward him, but toward the Spellbreaker he'd left behind.
His expression became as dark as coal, finally understanding the crafty vampire's plan. It was two knights whom he might save versus one that he could save. As soon as this thought passed, he sensed the runic energy in the distance reduce drastically.
With a growl of anger, he reversed directions and swung his sword in a familiar arc, sending a brilliant white streak that Mary dodged, the young woman letting out a "tsk" while returning to her place in the sky.
☀☀☀
A few minutes earlier…
Just like the squad Mary and her thralls engaged, this one consisted of a group of adventurers and two Spellbreaker knights.
Unlike hers though, this one didn't have a Radiant knight masquerading as someone weaker, that much Greem could tell due to Meat Vision and the various detection abilities he'd enchanted into his mask.
Like fruits that had just turned a bright, vibrant color and were releasing inviting smells, the members of this squad were ripe for picking.
His stride and demeanor conveying nothing but relaxation, Greem met the group head on, his moderate pace and light footfalls not matching the tone of the general situation.
As they'd always done in every engagement he had with them, the knights displayed actions and movements befitting the proper training they'd undergone, their shields and swords moving to the ready as they got into formation.
Still with his calm walking pace, Greem hefted Allerdyce with his right hand and pointed it in their direction, engaging its enchantments, the copious fire energies stored in it, and his endless life force.
He sent the latter into the spearhead in surges, his right arm turning into a blur as he jabbed it forward like a piston, bolts of orange leaping from it and showering his opponents.
The compressed mixture of flame and life force reaped the lives of the adventurers in an instant, the pinpoint, grenade-like explosions reducing them to bloody, smoking chunks.
As for the knights, their shields protected them from the brunt of the attacks and kept them on the backfoot, preventing them from unleashing any of their flying flame crescents.
While their thick armor did its job and kept them in one piece from the attacks he steered away from their shields, it did nothing to stop the repeated transfer of kinetic energy that went into their bodies to wreak piling havoc.
Deeming their disorientation enough, he fired up his booster and crossed the last stretch of distance between them in an instant, flinging Allerdyce towards the knight on the left.
Of course, the latter raised his shield to block such an obvious attack. But while he did that, Greem yanked himself down with his telekinetic Spirit and went low, spinning and kicking his legs out from under him.
His strength not only broke the guy's right leg, it sent him airborne where Greem grabbed him by that same leg and spun again, swinging him like a bat into the other knight.
A loud clang erupted as he sent his partner flying, the slash he was about to unleash stopped violently in its tracks. Maintaining his grasp on the makeshift bat's leg, he fired up his booster for a brief moment and soared straight up, tossing the knight.
He reeled his arm back and shot it forward, planting it into the latter's armored chest and sending the screaming and unlucky fellow down onto his partner, their cries and the clangs of their collision echoing through the forest.
Seeking to put an end to that, Greem summoned Allerdyce and it slammed into his palm, his whole body descending like a meteor as he raised it and slammed into the duo feet first.
The surrounding forest shook as dust rose into the air… and that was it.
****
Author's note:
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