On the training grounds outside Port Nefheim, a thousand soldiers were assembled in matching black armor with black and white tabards over top, denoting them as allies of the Darklight Host. On each chest, a small sigil was sewn, next to their official badge. A small golden emblem, a demon head with long feline ears, tufted at the top the same way that a bobcat's ears were. This was the official symbol that Neffie had chosen for her personal guard.
"Welcome everyone and congratulations on passing the tests. As of today, you will be granted the official skill of a Port Nefheim Guardian, the [Bonded Mount]. It is an epic quality skill and will be with you for the rest of your lives. They will remember you between summoning, so treat your mount well." Neffie declares, her pride in the soldiers evident in her tone.
She has abandoned her childish true form in order to be taken more seriously, becoming an alluring Demon Princess of the Obsession Sect, with milky smooth alabaster skin and glowing green eyes. She did keep her black spiked horns and long white ears though, the signature parts of her appearance were too dear to her to be erased from her public persona.
Every soldier here knew what she really looked like, but the form she was in now did a much better job of inspiring troops, even without the loyalty aura that she had been carefully cultivating.
"Now, you all have the skill, it is time to summon your partners and prepare to meet the onslaught of enemies that threaten our dear city." Neffie declares, raising a cheer from the army as a thousand assorted dinosaurs appear on the field.
The majority of the mounts were a two-legged carnivore known as the Cerato. Between six and seven meters long when stretched out to run, their usual standing stance was roughly two meters high, and leaned well forward for balance with their powerful tail extended behind them. That made them perfect for both elven and human soldiers, as well as the smaller beastkin that had joined for the offer of wages, safety, and regular meals.
Of course, not all of them joined for such simple reasons, but the structured life had drawn most of them into the life of a city soldier, where their loved ones were guaranteed a good life in Port Nefheim.
They weren't the only mounts chosen though, they also had a heavy cavalry mount known as the Trice, a four-legged herbivore with an incredibly powerful beak and a bone frill at the back of its head that served as a shield for its rider. The trice was well known for its powers in Earth Magic, stacking multiple defensive spells on itself to avoid injury. That made it perfect for the first wave of Neffie's cavalry, with the more agile Cerato squads following closely behind once the enemy lines were broken.
Finally, there were the flying mounts known as the Quez. with a wingspan of over 8 meters, they mostly had female elven mages as their riders, taking advantage of their smaller size and lighter bodies to increase their agility in the air and launch devastating magical attacks on the enemies of the Port. They would soon be patrolling the area around the city, being able to easily chase down even the fastest of ships and scout the movement of monsters and armies in the region on land.
At the moment, all three wings were in for a trial by fire. Every soldier selected for the Port's army was over level 250 already, and though that was far from the most powerful beings on the continent even before the dungeons collapsed, it would be enough to deal with the horde of level 300 dungeon-crazed dinosaurs that were currently charging towards the city.
That incoming force was the reason for today's ceremony, pushing forwards Neffie's plan by over a month. They were supposed to have more practice with the summoned mounts and group training before they had to see combat. They had faith though, both in themselves and in their adorable leader, that they would prevail.
Not only was she over level 300 and looking for a third advancement class that was best suited to her skills, but she was also a powerful Doppelganger already, and the Guild Master had sent a pair of his helpers, known by the System as Lesser Watchers, to assist her.
Their powers were nearly unimaginable to most of the army. They could summon, transform, fight or cast nearly any spell on a whim. Rumors said that they were even capable of rewarding heroes of the city with Mythic skills that would put the recipient head and shoulders above the competition, making them nearly invincible.
They had all heard of the awakened of the Southern Continent, but they were supposed to be a legendary existence, not something that just anyone who pleased the commander enough could achieve as a gift. Even if the odds were one in a thousand that they would stand out enough, progress fast enough, or perform a deed heroic enough to be awarded such a thing, the mere possibility was enough to nearly drive them into a frenzy for their first battle.
"Form up. The monster wave is nearly on us." Neffie shouted at her soldiers, getting them ready just before the first sounds of rampaging dinosaurs reached the more sensitive ears in the crowd.
The sound of crashing trees and enormous footsteps echoed across the water as the monster tide charged towards the port, funneled in this direction by the natural river valley that the city was built along.
"Cerato, ready lances. Trice, charge on my order." Neffie shouted, then sent the Quez forces into the air with a whistle, letting them herd the tide with their magic, to keep them from spreading out and escaping.
She learned that trick from a Bear Kin transfer named Blood Moon. In his past life, he was a mighty hunter from a low-technology world without magic. They used to chase their prey into traps or off cliffs to hunt them in relative safety, and that is what Neffie intends to do today. They don't have a good cliff to drive them off, since the enemies are level 300 and would survive most any fall, but they can chase them into a wall of cavalry, and let the weight of the horde behind them drive them forward to their deaths.
The dinosaurs mostly aren't exceedingly smart, being on par with domesticated animals, so they can be fairly easily tricked and herded with the right motivation, and defenses strong enough to survive their counterattacks.
The first wave of spells has enraged the horde, and a wave of earth spikes and water blasts flies back up at the Quez wing, which only circles back towards the city, drawing them onward in an increasingly enraged state.
By the time they realize that the Trice have built a spiked earth wall in front of them, with magical lances at the ready, it is too late to stop, and the front ranks slam forcefully to a stop before they are crushed by those behind them, in a repeating cycle until the momentum stalls with hundreds of injured and dead monsters in the vanguard.
"Trice, hold the line! Cerato, over the top and charge!" Neffie orders and the agile carnivores leap over the heads of the much larger heavy cavalry, running across bodies and tearing into the horde with their teeth, as their riders swing mighty swords and axes, using all the might of Second Awakening warriors to chop apart the dinosaurs.
Today, their arms feel stronger than ever, and their actions are smoother. Their proudest strength has reached new heights since they donned the uniform of the Port Nefheim army, representing the might and glory of the Darklight Host. Most are convinced that the effect is entirely an illusion, even the spell casters who can visually see the slight improvement in their spells, but if their new status makes them stronger, they don't care if it is a hidden effect of the uniform or just a trick of the mind.
Any bit of strength is true strength, and if believing that the seemingly simple uniform makes them better soldiers is what it takes, then they will wear the uniform with pride and gladly accept the benefits that it brings.
Spells rain down on the rapidly weakening monster wave, and the Trice begin to stomp forward over the corpses, using their mighty earth magic to crush any who are still resisting the teeth and blades of the Cerato forces.
The entire battle takes under fifteen minutes, and though they suffered some serious injuries, with the healers flying above them, the Port Nefheim Guardians managed not to lose a single soldier in their first engagement.
"Excellent work everyone. Retreat back to the base and send out the butchers, we have a bountiful harvest of Magical Monster meat today." Neffie orders, her pleasure with their skill clearly evident in her voice.
"Yes, Your Highness." The army responds in unison, making their way back to the port while an even larger army of workers and puppets comes out to replace them.
