59 Walk the Line (2/2)

Varda's still-nameless five-man magician squad supported the Talons from the rear. They dealt AOE damage on the surrounding field with a series of elemental spells ranging from Donar's Flame Arrows to Varda's Fist of Stone. Berrian stood on standby and was ready to heal any troublesome injuries.

After Qwipps and Varda, I sought out Thom and discovered that his unit had followed Edo and Luca's Raiders deeper into the enemy lines.

Thom had taken command and ordered the squads into a circular formation that would allow them to attack and defend from all sides.

There were two lines of circles. The outer-circle of drow and viseres were melee fighters who could hold back an enemy charge. The inner-circle were all archers led by Thom himself. They did an excellent job holding back the enemy from reaching them and disrupting Edo's fight in the center of their ring.

Edo was fighting toe-to-toe with an elf that their group managed to trap inside Thom's ring of soldiers. It was a similar tactic to what Ashley had done.

Surprisingly enough, the elf stood his ground and he seemed highly skilled with a sword. At the very least, he was still alive and hopping around despite facing off against Edo.

Of course, it wasn't lost on me that the Foolhardies were in a very danger-close situation. In fact, both halves of the unit were in pockets of open space between a sea of gray. thanks to my leading charge, we'd gotten past the enemy center army's first line and were now between them and the second line. But, luckily, our own center army was stealing attention away from the small hundred-man unit that had escaped between the cracks.

Immensely satisfied at what I'd seen, I disengaged Fool's Insight and told the soldiers around me that it was time to move out. it was imperative that we regrouped before we could be overwhelmed.

”Where are we going?” Aura asked as she leaned on her staff. She looked winded. Perhaps using her staff's ability drained her more than she let on. ”Don't you think we're too far out?”

”We are,” I admitted. ”It's why we need to regroup and push our way out.”

”Out to where?” Aura's brow creased. ”You're not thinking what I think you're thinking right?”

I wasn't sure if it was our shared connection that clued her in to the butterflies in my stomach. Excitement coursed through me and she might have caught onto it.

Fool's insight had shown me more than just our unit placement. It also gave me a brief overview of the flow of the battle which was like a great wave moving and pulling in all directions. If we timed it just right, there was a possibility that we could use this flow to break past the third line of the enemy center army unscathed. That would mean a straight and free path to an even bigger prize.

”Do you trust me?” I asked her.

She paused for only a brief second and then nodded her head. ”You know I do.”

”Well I don't,” Luca interjected. ”You've come up with another foolhardy plan, haven't you?”

”It's been working well so far,” I reasoned.

”Luck can only get us so far, Dean,” Luca countered.

I smacked his chest lightly with my fist. ”It's not luck that wins us the fight, little brother. It's heart.”

It must have been very hard for Luca not to roll his eyes but he managed. Despite his complaints, I knew he believed in me.

”So, are you going to tell us the plan?” Aura asked.

”Later, when we're all together...” A wide grin grew on my face. ”First, let's go piss Edo off and steal his kill.”