Lyonel was big for his race. Hamster people weren't short, but at a hundred and eighty centimeters he was well above average. Compared to the Bodarian in front of him, a thickly proportioned humanoid that was knocking on a full two meters, he was feeling rather petite. Still, by turning the anger at his own insecurity into conviction, he was able to face his opponent without shaking.

His furry fist tightened on the solid wooden handle of his new mace as he took in the space they would be fighting in. The night was watched over by a halfmoon in a cloudless sky. That was enough for a normal person to see vague shapes at medium distances, but for Lyonel's enhanced eyesight, which was naturally designed for low-light situations anyway, it was almost clear as day. However, the black metal that formed the head of his weapon blended into the darkness and he had trouble picking it out. That might provide him with an advantage if his opponent also had trouble locating it precisely.

His armor had received a good upgrade and he was now clad almost entirely in solid metal. It wasn't full plate, but each piece had demonstrated its toughness in combat, and the gaps between the sections were small. The metal wasn't brightly polished, not that it would matter too much in the moonlight, but it would make it harder to follow his movements. His old shield, a nicely constructed tower shield, had been damaged too much to use anymore. He now was forced to rely on a medium wooden one.

His opponent, besides being significantly larger, was also well equipped. Unlike the first Bodarian he had encountered, he was not carrying an oversized weapon. His was a fairly standard war-hammer, although the head was a little larger than usual. It didn't look like the extra weight was an issue for him, and the big man was easily able to hold the weapon in one hand and a large round shield in the other.. He was also wearing armor, but it didn't look to be as significant as Lyonel's. He had a solid looking breastplate, but everything else was made of leather. Still, the muscles and bones underneath looked like they could take a significant beating all on their own.

Activating his empowered senses ability for a moment, Lyonel studied his foe. The golemoid stood rock steady, a picture of the hardened warrior, ready for violence. A slight rhythmic bulging in his neck suggested his blood was pumping strongly, perhaps in excitement. How long the two of them stood there, Lyonel couldn't have said. There was an intensity building between them, a showdown of wills over who would move first. He was proud to say that when one of them twitched, it wasn't the furry one.

With a bellow, the golemoid raised his weapon and charged. He swung his large warhammer in an overhand blow. Lyonel raised his shield and braced himself behind it. This strike would contain an incredible amount of force. His poor wooden shield would normally not be able to withstand such a strike, but he activated Harden and Block. The second ability was the higher leveled one, and it provided both passive and active effects when activated. The more passive part of the ability helped guide him to perfectly position his shield and his body to receive the blow, and it provided real-time updates as the hammer descended. The more active effect would enable him to negate a large portion of the force behind the attack. He also had a talent called block that most likely added to its effectiveness. The harden ability allowed him to enhance his gear, in this case his shield, temporarily making it more durable.

When the hit landed, it didn't disappoint. Even with his abilities running, he was forced back a step, but he could see their effects as the wood didn't crack or split, and he felt no lasting damage. Butan had been expecting more of an effect from his attack, and so he wasn't properly positioned when Lyonel swung his own mace. Lyonel's abilities mostly affected his stamina, but as the fight was still in its early stages he had plenty to spare.

Crush was an ability he gained from his Defender class. It was a purely offensive move, but sometimes you can have a good defense by having a solid offense. When activated, the ability didn't make him swing faster or harder, but it did dramatically increase the effect of the hit. Butan was out of position, but he was a skilled fighter and so he still managed to bring his own shield in the way. A resounding clang rang out, and the impact caused a shiver to crawl up Lyonel's arm. His mace left a distinct impression in the metal shield, but he couldn't tell if it had any other effect on his enemy.

Not wanting to repeat the Bodarian's mistake, Lyonel had left himself properly positioned after his strike in case his opponent retaliated. It seemed that his attack had left an impression on his opponent in addition to his shield, because he didn't try and respond right away. Both warriors instead took a moment to reflect on that exchange. For Lyonel, it was a solid boost to his confidence. He had taken what was probably his foe's best attack with little trouble. His own strike had been more effective.

They both made the decision to reengage at the same time, coming together in a fury of blows. Their constitution classes, combined with their heavy armor, allowed them to bash away on one another without dealing devastating injuries. The bruises and cracked bones started to add up as the fight went on. Their shields took a lot of abuse, and at least some of that was transferred to their arms. Gaf was going to be busy after this fight was over, assuming he was still alive that was.

As the fight continued, Lyonel used his abilities less and less. His stamina was under half and crush especially was a hog. His opponent had his share of abilities, one similar to his block and another that let him move in bursts of speed. That one must also use a lot of energy because he activated it sparingly, but when he did it was all Lyonel could do to protect his vitals.

Blow after blow rained down on their armor, their shields, and their bodies. Neither of them had a dexterity class and there wasn't much dodging. Blocking was the name of the game, and it was taking its toll on the fighters and their gear. Even the breastplates had been cracked and dented and it was a miracle their shields were still in one piece, since they took the majority of the blows. Harden was the only reason Lyonel's was still intact, and soon he wouldn't have the stamina to use that either. The good news was the message he got mid fight.

Ability Upgrade: Harden I → Harden II

It unfortunately didn't do anything to reduce the cost of the ability, but it did have a dramatic effect on the durability boost. At the rate the fight was going, his shield would be the last thing to break, and that was including his body. Come to think of it, his body was already broken in several places. Lyonel didn't know who was going to win this war of attrition if it kept up as is, but he decided to take a risk and push for total victory. He activated the one talent he had yet to use.

For some reason, this ability required mana to activate, but it also reduced the cost of his attacks. Unrelenting Assault had a long cooldown, several hours, and he found himself rarely using it. The issue wasn't that he didn't have opportunities where he could have used it, the problem was that he was always saving it for an even worse situation. Previously, he had only used it four times. This was going to be the fifth. No reason to hold back now. The ability didn't require any words to be spoken, but it did need him to inhale deeply for one second. It served to center his focus before he unleashed hell.

Not only did this ability decrease the cost of his attacks, allowing him to last longer, but it increased his speed and strength. Gaf had commented on how it was familiar to some berserking abilities he had seen, but this one didn't come at the cost of his faculties. It also didn't provide as much of a boost as those things did. But it would be enough. It had to be.

A single step propelled Lyonel forward at a remarkable speed, especially since both fighters had begun to slow as the fight continued. Butan wasn't ready for that explosiveness, and he was barely able to get his shield in the way with his own block ability. Lyonel used his Crush again and it forced the larger man back several steps. This time Lyonel was already advancing, even as his mace hit the first time, and he was in place to attack again before Butan came to a stop.

The second hit was also supported by Crush, but even with the reduction from Unrelenting Assault, Lyonel's stamina was almost out. This was no time to stop, though, he had played his trump card and it was either victory or total defeat. A third and fourth blow clanged on Butan's shield, and even without crush to back it up, the blows drove the Bodarian back again and again.

Talent Upgrade: Hammer Blow II → Hammer Blow III

When his mace hit that shield again, the sound of overstressed metal could be heard. He didn't know if it came from his own weapon or his opponent's shield, but there was only one way to find out. Three more times he brought his mace down, each attack bringing him closer to a collapse. With the third hit, Butan's shield had finally run out of energy in its aura, even being supported by Harden, and it split into pieces. Parts of it went flying, while the larger chunk stayed attached to the golemoid's arm. It could have become another weapon for Butan, except the blow had bent it partially around his arm, so the jagged edge from the damage was pointing back at his own chest.

Lyonel still wasn't done and he stuck Butan on his now exposed head. For some reason the large man didn't wear a helmet, but his skull must have been incredibly thick, because it didn't crack open from a blow that had already shattered steel. That hardened bone wasn't able to keep Butan conscious however, and he ended up laying on his back, with his eyes rolling back into his head. Lyonel was about to bring his mace down again, to fully end the fight, when his stamina finally ran out, and he collapsed next to his unconscious opponent.

When next he woke, he found himself in his bed back in the boarding house. He was wearing the bloody and sweat stained underclothes that had been beneath his armor. He winced at what Jessica would say when she saw the mess he had made of her nice clean sheets. His body, on the other hand, was feeling remarkably good. A quick check showed that his many bruises, cracked and broken bones, and even the damaged organs he feared he'd sustained had all been healed. His bodie's silhouette in his vision showed grey. Not only had he been fully restored, but he'd been out of combat long enough for it to switch over from combat green to normal grey.

Each adventurer had their own room in the boarding house. It wasn't large, but it was enough space for a bed and some furniture, as well as some space to move around or meditate in. Currently there was only a single chair in Lyonel's room, and it was occupied by Gaf. The man must have been keeping vigil over his patient.

The human noticed that Lyonel's eyes were open. "Welcome back, boss. How you feeling?"

Lyonel's first attempt to answer came out as more of a groan, and Gaf handed him a tankard filled with water. After a few small sips, he was finally able to speak.

"Surprisingly good, although incredibly dirty. Any chance I have time for a bath."

"About that…"

Lyonel felt a cold hand grasp his chest. What had happened after he collapsed? He was pretty sure he had won the fight, but the final moments were a little fuzzy.

Seeing the panic in his leader's eyes, Gaf quickly continued. "Sorry, nothing to worry about, I think. After you collapsed, the Bodarians were ready to declare victory, but then we realized that their warrior was also unconscious. Everyone was a little unclear what to do then. No stakes to the fight had been decided beforehand, and it seemed that simultaneous losses weren't a common part of their culture. Fortunately, the mayor had made his way out to catch the end of the fight. He took over the discussion and managed to convince them that this counted as a tie, and that they should sit down and talk over the next stage in the Village Raid."

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"He did what?" Was all that Lyonel could croak out.

"He had some people bring out a table and chairs, Samson cast a light on the centerpiece, and they all sat right there and had a meal while they talked. The Boadarians didn't like Samson's spell by the way. They didn't say anything, but you could tell. There might be something in their culture against using magic."

That was good intel if it proved to be true. It also wasn't a shock. They seemed to value strength, and without the Network to provide actual magic on their homeworld, it was likely that only physical strength was known to them. If they looked down on those who used magic, it might provide them an angle they could use when fighting against them in the future. While Lyonel was thinking this, Gaf continued describing the meeting between the mayor and the opposing adventurers.

"...And since both of you were still unconscious, the mayor somehow talked them into this being a sign that recruits shouldn't take part in the raid. He explained it to us later that the other side no doubt thought they would have an advantage if only the natives were allowed to participate. With so many of their villagers showing up in full equipment, they must have started training them. Not even our own people have full gear yet, so they must be making a significant push to accomplish what they have so far. None of the people that the mayor brought with him had their gear on, which was deliberate it turned out, so the Bodarians must have thought that their people would crush ours easily."

"Wait, are you saying that the Bodarians will stay out of it as long as we do? What happens when they realize all our people have classes?"

"Well, Hector asked the mayor the same thing after the meeting was over. He said it was a calculated risk. Golemoids, in general, tend to be very interested in their honor and in keeping their word. It's not a trait they all share, but with the ritualistic style that they asked for single combat with, the mayor thinks there's a good chance that they will be very reluctant to go back on the agreement. And if we're wrong, we can always join the fight as well to counter them. That was a hell of a show you put on out there Lyonel. The way you shattered his shield was something to behold."

"So where does that leave us?" Lyonel had to ask. He wasn't comfortable with the praise, that was for heroes, not him.

"Well, you've been out the rest of the night. Healing magic isn't so good for dealing with simple exhaustion. Bottoming out your stamina like you did simply requires time to fix. The other guy probably took a while to wake up as well. Brain injuries are tricky things. The mayor and the Bodarian's second, Jemina, agreed to halt any further incursions until morning. That's in a little less than an hour. All of the scouts they had by the portals have already gone back to their own side. No idea what they're doing there, but the mayor has been busy."

Roger had indeed been active. He had some of the groups on duty, while the rest had been sent to get a meal and a quick rest. If things were going as planned, the entire town should be gathering again in the village square about now, ready to get their orders. Lyonel wasn't there to hear them, but the mayor had discussed the plan with the two adventuring teams, so Gaf was able to fill him in.

The first stage for the day was their own version of what the other village had already done. Instead of sending two people though, Roger planned on sending two full teams to scout out each portal. They had identified over twenty portals that were somewhere around the village. Hector had gone out and done some quick scouting. He hadn't gone too far from the walls, but it let him find a few that he hadn't been able to see before. That meant more than forty teams would be deployed, but they had over a hundred five-person parties. That would leave plenty behind to protect the village, and each scouting element should have enough strength to at least run for it, even if the Bodarian's proved treacherous.

Lyonel couldn't fault the plan. If the opposing recruits stayed true to their word, then this should allow them to get a quick sense of what was waiting for them on the other side, and possibly give them the opportunity of ending the conflict in short order. He was a little leery of the risk to those testing the portals, though. Due to their size, only two or three people could use a portal at a time. This meant that if their enemy was clever, they could have people waiting for them to appear, and then take them out before the full force could teleport over. It wasn't likely, though. They had no way of knowing when people would be coming through, so they would have to maintain a hair trigger for hours. Any delay in the initial attack would give Elstree's people time to get their defenses up.

Even though he was supposed to stay out of it, Lyonel felt like it was important that he was there when things kicked off. He didn't want to go out in public as he was now, however. His body might be healed, but he hadn't been cleaned up, and his belly felt like an aching pit. Using his abilities left his aura craving energy afterwards, and the easiest place to get that was from food. Lyonel sent Gaf to make sure the others were ready, and then took a quick bath before heading downstairs for a meal. The healer had also stopped by Jessica's rooms to see about getting a quick bite for Lyonel.

With somewhere around twenty minutes left before the sun rose, the Corellians were making their way through the crowd in the square. In one of those absent thoughts you get when you should be focusing on something serious, Lyonel pondered that the mayor should reconsider his plans for redoing the central portion of the village. This square saw a lot of use as a gathering point, they might want to increase the size dramatically.

The mayor greeted them when they got to the steps in front of the Hall. The villagers had cleared a path for them once they saw who was trying to push through. "Glad you guys could make it, how you feeling Lyonel?"

"Better than I was last night. I hear you did some quick thinking, and even faster talking."

Roger chuckled at the compliment. "I hope you don't mind, but from everything I could read from them, this seemed like a possibility that was too good to pass up. Soon we'll find out if they were playing straight with us."

Lyonel couldn't help asking. "Aren't you worried that they'll consider us as violating the agreement once they realize our villagers have classes?"

The mayor nodded. "That thought had occurred to me, but even if they do, we'll have some time to operate before they change their minds. That's also why we are moving in larger groups. I'm hoping our people will be able to do their jobs without exposing obvious signs that they have a class."

It seemed that Lyonel had underestimated Roger. The man hadn't just run with a plan that popped into his head, he seemed to have put a lot of thought into this. Rather than a fifty-fifty chance, Lyonel figured their odds were more like four to one. A lot was going to depend on whether their opponents would keep their word. It was a heck of a thing to rely on, but he got a sense from his limited interaction with them that they really would stay out of it.

With ten minutes left, groups started to head out for their assigned theatres. Most of the scout teams would be leaving through either the east or west gate, but there were some that would be ferried across the river. Where it passed the village, the water was several meters deep and had a decent current. A strong swimmer would be able to cross it with little trouble, but not while wearing all their gear. This had been brought up as an issue before. There was lots of attractive farmland on the other side, but the nearest place to cross with any kind of safely was too far away to be practical.

Because of this, Roger had gotten some of their already too few carpenters to put together a boat. It wasn't anything impressive, little more than an oversized rowboat, but it could comfortably carry eight or nine people across at a time. The woodworkers had also managed to build two of them. That had led to the mayor giving them a nice bonus, and it meant that they could move around three parties across the river at a time. It would take just over ten minutes per trip, but that was still going to be a lot faster than going the long way. They had ten parties heading for the river, and the boats that were stored near the water wheel. There hadn't been much action at the river portals from the enemy, so it was possible they led to somewhere out of the way.

Lyonel's group made their way up to the eastern gate, while the mercenary party went up the western side. It occurred to him that they needed to get better names for the different parties. It was awkward discussing the different groups with the names they had at the moment. He made a mental note to not ask Gerry for name suggestions. He might be incredibly gifted magically, but the man had told them of a pet lizard he used to have called Lizzy.

Once they were in place, there wasn't much time left before the sun officially rose. The sky was already brightening, but no piece of that glowing orb was yet visible. Finally the smallest sliver climbed over the horizon and the gates opened. A quick look also showed the first boat pushing off from shore. It occurred to him that if they were on an actual planet, they couldn't have timed their ceasefire with the sunrise. Different parts of the world wouldn't have the sun rising at the same time. Since they were on a disk, he wasn't sure if the sun rose for them all at the same time, but it should be relatively similar.

The many groups waiting below set out for their target portals. Three groups were actually headed for the closest portal, with the thought being that if they were going to be ready at any of the portals, it would be at the one closest to their own village, and the one by Elstree. Since they didn't know which portal led to their opponent's village, Roger at least wanted to send a solid group to the one before their own gates.

The plan didn't include an attempt at simultaneous assaults across all the portals, but they did want the closest ones entered at the same time. The others were too spread out to make the idea practical for anything but the nearest ones. When everyone was in position, Samson sent a light bolt into the sky. It was the signal they were waiting on, and the scout groups started moving through the portals as fast as they could.

Lyonel had been hesitant to use such a display for two reasons. The first was that it would be visible from farther away than he was comfortable. They could see that the closest portals had no visitors, but there was no way to tell about the ones farther away. He also had been worried that this would count as them contributing to the raid, and constitute a breach of the agreement. It turned out that at least his second concern was unnecessary. In the discussion of terms, it had been agreed that the recruits could provide orders, plans, and even logistical support, they just couldn't contribute directly to the fighting.

The plan was for each group to spend a few minutes getting situated on the other side before sending back a couple of people to report. While they were waiting for that to happen, Hector got his attention. He was pointing in the direction of the town and Alan's dungeons.

"Something's coming down the road, I'm not sure what it is yet."

Activating his empowered senses ability, Lyonel could just make out a smudge in the distance. Hector had a similar ability from his Huntsman class, and it had upgraded a couple of times as well, so he could make it out much more clearly. It was still impressive that he had noticed anything at such a distance.

"Keep an eye on it, let me know when you make out what it is."

With a nod, Hector never took his eyes off of his target. Lyonel wasn't sure what they were seeing, but the most likely possibility was that it was one of the enemy scouts returning from some mission. There had been three, earlier, that never came back to the portals. They hadn't been sure if they were still out there, but it made the most sense for the identity of their smudge. However, it could just as easily be a monster. At the moment, he had more pressing issues, though. The first scouts were returning, and they were running back for the gates.

They had planned ahead of time for the reports to happen back in the town square. They would stop briefly at the gate to give a synopsis, but the decision making was going to happen in the centralized location. Lyonel jogged down the stairs, ready to hear the quick report. He had originally planned on getting the full rundown with the mayor, but he didn't want to leave until they knew what was coming down the road.

The first few reports weren't surprising. They had come out of portals that were scattered around the opposing zone. Some reported seeing their counterpart village in the distance, others saw only wilderness. He wanted to ask about the terrain, but those kinds of details could wait until the full debrief. Besides, Hector was waving to him from above. Another jog up the stairs brought him back to his scout. Maybe he could at least level up his running skill today.

Lyonel activated his perception ability again, but he wasn't sure what he was looking at yet. "What have you got?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure since I can't identify them yet, but it looks like a person riding on a giant brown wolf. The weird thing is, the person has a big snake or giant worm wrapped around their waist. I'm not sure what to make of it."

Lyonel didn't know either, but his gut was telling them it was going to be a headache. The fact that there was a person suggested it was one of the enemy scouts, but where had he gotten a mount from, and what was with the snake-worm thing? There was nothing to do but wait. When the next scout group came through, Lyonel called down for them to let the mayor know that he was going to stay here, there was an anomaly he had to check out. One of the scouting groups for a distant portal had altered course to intercept their incoming mystery. Those villagers were much closer than they were at the wall and so they no doubt had a better idea of what they were running towards. Let's hope that whatever this encounter turned out to be, went peacefully.

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