There were exploding monsters in the 28 column.

The energy in the group was teeming with reservation as they lined up to do 28E. The memory of what had happened days ago was fresh on everyone's mind and no one wanted to lose people this time.

The moment Patrick walked through the barrier, everyone exploded into action. Penelope grabbed Circe and Riva and <Blinked> them on top of the bunker, which was more like a castle now.

Patrick was getting more proficient with how he could shape stone and while Raelyn's team was working on 27J, he'd spent the afternoon the day before putting steps and a ledge on the wall. One of the Casters didn't have to <Blink> people on top of the wall or the roof of the bunker anymore, but it was still the fastest way for Circe and Riva to get into position.

"Tanks are underground." Penelope located the fish monsters that were swimming through the dirt like it was water.

"You're on the Murhanas." Circe didn't have her bow out; instead, the brunette was wielding a dagger. "We're keeping the Pine Soldiers at bay."

Riva cast <Fear> on the charging Power monsters, sending the bipedal monsters running the other direction.

The elementals were covered in scales that looked like their armor was made out of pine cones. They were shorter for the monsters on the floor, at only four feet tall, but <Bark Skin> and <Scaled> combined gave them an impressive physical defense. They were the most dangerous monster in the square, which was why the two dark affinity people were focused on making them flee in the other direction.

"I'm on it." Penelope focused her floating <Light Balls> in between her and the closest Murhana. The fish monsters had mouths that were wide enough to swallow a person whole. The car-sized black fish also had rows of teeth like a shark even though they had rounder faces. She unleashed a <Light Bolt> through each of the orbital spells.

The streak of light zapped the soft dirt. There wasn't an experience notification, but she could tell that the monster was dead. She didn't have enough mana to stop all of them without relying on a mana potion, but she hoped the Shadows would realize she could kill the underground Tanks and pull them back until everyone else got there and could back her up.

"Flyers!" Circe pointed at the Flying Monkeys. "PEN!"

The gray monkeys had brown feathered wings and antlers on their heads. The Speed monsters also sported a high Defense stat, which made them difficult for the archers to take down, which was why Circe was using her crowd control abilities. The only things that didn't have a high Defense in this column were the Healers and some of the Shadows.

"I'm…" Penelope zapped another Murhana, but they were moving too fast. The only reason why she was able to see them was that she had <Clairvoyance> active. Allis had tried to mimic her setup but had earned herself <Heat Sense> instead. Without the ability to see through the floating balls, the other woman was limited to only what she could see, which meant that most elementals and other insulated things could hide from her. The other Casters didn't even have that, which meant that she was the only person who could both see and hit the underground monsters.

"Try to keep the monkeys back!" Penelope moved her orbital spells closer to her as the wave of fish monsters got closer to the castle. "These things are moving too fast!"

"INCOMING!" Circe screamed as she switched to her bow to shoot at the flight of monkeys.

Should I grab them and <Blink> off the roof? Penelope took out another Murhana, then another, but then the other five were under the castle walls. The roof is probably the safest place though.

She checked her mana level. 77/202.

The nine Flying Monkeys were getting too close. Six casts of <Knives Out> was all that she could manage, which gave her 30 metal shards. She threw three at each monster and kept the last three floating over her head.

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The flying monsters all fell out of the sky.

"That was…" Circe's mouth gaped open as the gray bodies hurled at them.

Penelope grabbed her two friends and <Blinked> in place, holding the spell as long as she could while the antlered corpses pelted the roof where they had been standing. A few of the winged monsters slid off the back of the roof where the people below were fighting the fish that had erupted out of the ground under them.

Caleb ran up the stairs as one of the Murhanas snapped at him. The black fish's fins slapped the side of the wall, but it couldn't pull itself up the stairs.

A <Fireball> slammed into the side of it, leaving a long scorch mark along the gill.

"GET BACK!" Archer ran at the fish, slamming his shield into its face and knocking it away from the stairs.

"The roof is clear!" Circe shouted as she looked over the side.

"The exploders are coming back!" Riva pointed towards the center of the square.

Penelope trusted that the people on the ground could handle the fish and looked back at the approaching monsters. A green-armored Shadow Knight held the middle while three Shadow Casters spread out behind it. This time the Pine Soldiers weren't alone, with the hand-sized Fae Dragons flying just behind the Casters.

The Healer monsters of the column were small enough that they could have fit in her hand, which made them very difficult to see from this distance. The gray reptiles sported veined insect wings that were colored like a drop of oil in water. The faint rainbow colors shifted as the tiny creatures beat their wings.

Vines curled around the Pine Soldiers, keeping them from running away as Riva and Circe hit the monsters with <Fear> again. Horned lizards made out of moss and vines wrapped their tails around the Pine Soldiers' bodies, then spun around, flinging the exploding monsters through the air.

Penelope had a single point of mana and that wasn't going to be enough to save them. She yanked a mana potion out of her pocket and downed the minty, blue liquid in a single gulp.

"EXPLO—"

The rest of Circe's warning vanished as Penelope <Blinked> the three of them to the ground near the barrier.

BOOM!

Shards of rock sprayed the Humans as the Pine Soldiers exploded the moment they hit the wall. The shock of the blast knocked people off their feet and the raining debris made it difficult for the others to see what was happening.

Penelope switched her vision to her main <Light Ball> and pulled the rest of them closer to her. The remaining knives that she'd been holding in reserve were no longer connected to her magic. Either they'd been destroyed or she'd subconsciously released them while trying to keep Circe and Riva safe.

She diverted her attention to the two remaining Murhana. Nina was standing in the middle of one that had been split in half while struggling against one of the live ones that was trying to eat her. She'd lost her hammer somewhere and had one hand on each side of the monster's massive jaws, barely keeping the teeth from snapping shut over her.

Archer had the other one up against the wall, pinning it in place as it tried to burrow away from him, but he'd put a <Stone Wall> under it, which kept it from getting into the dirt.

A round of <Light Bolts> took care of the one trying to eat Nina first, then she finished off the one that Archer had pinned.

Being able to see through the dust cloud and rubble let Penelope know just how dire their situation was. Caleb and Allis had been blown away from the wall. Patrick was buried under the rubble that had been the castle, along with Elliot and Otis Randall, the man that had replaced Skylar as the Healer for the right team.

Which left Raelyn as the only Healer on her feet. Spencer had made a <Water Bubble> around her, which had protected her but left the Tank vulnerable. A green glow covered the downed Tank as Raelyn focused her healing magic on him.

"CASS! GET RID OF THE DUST!" Penelope made sure their air affinity Caster was still able to move, then turned her attention to the approaching Demons. With two of their Tanks either down or trapped and the castle wall caved in, they only had one person who could stand in the breach.

"ARCHER!" Penelope <Blinked> over to him and grabbed his arm, then <Blinked> him in front of the rubble.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Despite being so close, the fifty-year-old man yelled.

"You're the only Tank." Penelope pointed at the monsters that were almost in range. "We've got to hold them off until the others can regroup."

"THEY'RE DEAD?" Archer coughed to clear the dust from his lungs.

"Patrick is under that." Penelope pointed at the pile of rubble behind them. "And if we don't end this quick…" Her breath hitched as she realized just how many monsters were still alive.

"Okay then…" The armored man banged his sword against his shield. "I'll give you as much time as I can."

A black arrow shot over their heads, followed by a stream of fire. Circe and Stephen peeked over the rubble.

There was a pop, and then Fae Anna and Nina were beside them.

"Rae and Riva are trying to help who they can, but…" Fae Anna looked over at Penelope. "We're it."

"We can do this." Penelope hoped there was more confidence in her voice than what she felt. "We have to."

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