The next morning begins with another attack alarm. Bright and early, just after the sun rises. The Ogres rarely do night raids, because their night vision isn't great compared to the Fae.
"What on Earth are the Ogres doing?" Mythryll shouts from her room, and Cain can hear Char laugh.
"Should we go deal with it again?" Cain calls to his guild members.
"I need raw iron for my crafting, if you're going, bring me with you." Dimnys helps from the kitchen to be heard over the siren. They really need to get a sound proofing spell cast on the house.
And so, for the second day on a row, they head to the mission hall annoyed. But this time they stop off at a magical renovations shop and order a sound deadening spell for the Guild House property. The staff there promises it will reduce the siren to a whisper and only needs refreshed once a year, a great deal in their minds.
Slayer and his guild of entirely tanks and two healers is already there, waiting on the quest, along with another small guild of casters with a Leech type tank.
"You want to lead the raid again, Darklight?" Slayer asks.
"Yeah, no problem. All you other casters, stay close too. Misha here has a very good area heal, but it's limited in radius. If you stick close you've got nothing to worry about." Cain explains.
"I've got a castable area buff." One of the warlocks adds. "Extra shadow damage on every hit, so if we can gather before the fight, that would be great."
This morning's attack is at the East Gate, clear across town, but that gives the raid group a moment to form a strategy more complex than 'smash them for waking us up again'. Like how they went into battle yesterday, the Trolls will take the center, flanked by the Barbarians and the Vala twins. They've got a lot of tanks, so the others will surround the casters, forming a wedge of open space for them to work while keeping everyone in range of the healers.
There will be no front and center attack today, instead they'll hit from the side, distracting the Ogre forces and leaving them vulnerable to the arrows of the defense force.
Simple, safe and efficient. So, of course that's not how things work out.
The Ogre King is at this battle, and their tactic has changed. this is no disorganized mob of Ogres, they've brought interlocking shields to form a Phalanx wall, as well as basic siege weaponry. The first round of Arrows mostly bounce off the shields, and a collection of Flaming projectiles come flying back at the Elves.
While they're still in flight, the wall starts moving forward, keeping their shield wall even and gap free.
"Go as planned, the Trolls will punch a hole in the shield wall from the side." Cain calls and the party rushes the Ogre army.
They're not only better equipped and trained, but better prepared. The shield wall smoothly bends to meet their charge, Spears poking over top from the second rank. The first area spells are on them, but their health is ticking back up every so often. They've brought healers.
The Troll charge is moderately effective, it doesn't carve a swathe like yesterday, but it does break the ranks of the shield wall letting the other tanks move forward and force a breach. The massive strength of the Trolls ten levels higher than the attacking ogres is keeping them from regrouping, the log sized clubs knocking shields aside and forcing their bearers to the side.
Seeing the difficulties, both Valas and the Barbarians push forward, getting behind the front rank of ogres to attack the Spearmen. The effect is immediate, the shield wall breaks as the defenders turn to avoid getting stabbed in the back, and the party forces their way inwards.
Spells are now landing effectively on unprotected ogres, Char's Channeled lightning wreaking havoc, as the damage is so much higher than whoever is healing the Ogres can deal with.
Without the shields to block spells, the tide turns rapidly and the ogres start falling at an increasing pace. Vala calls back that she's found the healers, so Cain sends all the Dark Nymphs to back her up, while Mythryll's Treants follow them into the fray.
They're Gnoll Shamans, she declares, dodging between huge Ogre legs. Most of the Dark Nymphs and all the Treants get caught up holding back ogres, but both Vala twins make their way through and begin hacking up the Shamans.
"Slayer, I'll send a summoned Healer with you, push through the hole the Nymphs are holding and help kill those healers, the mages can't see them to target through all this." Cain calls.
The Barbarian pushes through at a run, trusting the healers to keep him up, and not knowing that Vala is a Summon or that she self heals.
"Made it." The big man calls from the other side of the Ogres and the healing begins to noticeably drop.
Their efforts are paying off, as they've driven the flank so far back they're almost into the backs of the main wall, which is currently in melee combat with the city defenders.
The Trolls reinforce the Nymphs, creating a tunnel straight to the healers and spells begin to rain down among the Gnolls, ending the healing of the Ogre Forces on this flank.
A horn blows and the shield wall reforms in the reserves, while the front lines retreat back through the new defensive line, forming a box defense that is slowly backing towards the trees. It looks like this attack is almost over.
[Quest Condition Fulfilled]
The Ogres retreat and scene have a sigh of relief. This was not only a larger attack, but much different due to the organization. Like they were facing the actual army and not a disorganized militia.
"Well, that was intense." Slayer laughs, giving the summoned Dark Elven Cleric a lecherous look.
"How about you and me head back to the hotel for a little relaxation eh?" he asks the Dark Elf, who gives him a disgusted look that makes everyone else laugh.
"I would like to point out that the Dark Elf Cleric is a Summon. I'm not even sure you CAN lewd those Elves." Char laughs while the Barbarian looks embarrassed.
"I forgot. They're cute though." He shrugs, stowing his axe and surveying the carnage of the battlefield.
The Sunnybrook City defenders took heavy casualties today, Cain suspects the Guild might need to keep showing up to these attacks if they don't want the guard to fall.
