Level Up: Voidwalker

Amethyst looked out the window as Artemis spoke, \'\'Grish, why do we need to involve ourselves in this war?\'\'

The orc girl looked at her with a smile. \'\'To grow stronger and gain experience, plus the Wildheart Kingdom is paying a fortune for powerful adventurers to help push the Southmen back south,\'\' she said.

\'\'Rumors speak of the Demon of Thalassia holding them back at the King\'s Pass, but who knows what the truth is,\'\' Estelle commented as she sharpened her blade.

\'\'Do you think Azhar\'Zul will meet us there?\'\' Amethyst asked as she looked at the group.

Artemis smiled, \'\'It will be a while before we see him again. Aetos is wandering around Zarandar trying to find a Soul Mage to help that fluff ball, but I\'m sure it will be a few months until you reunite with your lover, Little Bird,\'\' she said.

"Shut up, fish! I have a bad feeling about this all," the Phoenix girl replied with a frown. The world will search for him once they realize he\'s the Voidwalker."

\'\'Azhar\'Zul will be fine, little one,\'\' Grishna smiled. \'\'I\'m sure he\'s hidden and safe; I spent time with him and know he\'s a free spirit. He wouldn\'t be stopped from having the grand adventurer he always talked about.\'\'

Amethyst nodded in agreement as Estelle\'s voice cut through the hum of conversation, her tone grave. "Look out the window," she said, pointing to the right. "Oakenshield and Wildheart are burning."

The group fell silent, their eyes following Estelle\'s gaze. Through the carriage window, they could see the distant land consumed by flames, an inferno that spread across the horizon. The fiery devastation marked the advance of the Achaemenidians as they swept through Astoria, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

When the women saw this, their hearts dropped as black smoke billowed into the sky, scorching the beautiful green landscape. \'\'Weren\'t we heading for Wildheart? I wonder where is the frontline now?\'\' Grishna inquired in frustration.

\'\'My guess is the Malduhr River in the Oakenheart Kingdom, as they are allied with the northern realms and Wildheart,\'\' Estelle informed the group. \'\'Once we reach the frontline, we must report to the local guild for our orders.\'\'

"Why do we have to fight? It\'s a realm far away from Argonia. Couldn\'t we just hunker down in northern Astoria and wait for Azhar\'Zul?" Amethyst asked, her voice laced with worry.

Grisha turned to her and smiled, \'\'Little Bird. When you become an adventurer, you agree to aid in times of war. Due to their power, the Southmen use their adventurers as shock troops to hit well-defended positions.\'\'

Following that, the journey took close to a week to reach the Thalassia Empire and get a Mana Airship to the front lines. The women found this out when meeting in the guild, and they were assigned to a group of twenty who would be assaulting Blood Bridge to push the Southmen back and establish a beachhead in the Wildheart Kingdom.

When the four girls heard this, they agreed to it and met up with the sixteen other people who seemed friendly apart from one group. The leader approached them and tried to charm them until Grishna beat him up, claiming they all had the same husband.

The orc girl beat him black and blue while cursing several generations of his family; she only stopped with Estelle, and Artemis dragged her back, which made Amethyst and the adventurers giggle at the scene.

After that, they were instructed to attack the Blood Bridge and the Southmen, trying to fortify it. Their group commander was a grizzled veteran named Rollo, who had fought in many wars across Astoria and was an old friend of Grishna\'s father.

He ordered the adventurers to charge across but stopped the four women and a few others as the Southmen mages blasted them to pieces, causing the commander to laugh. Amethyst looked horrified and spoke, \'\'Why did you sacrifice them?\'\'

Rollo revealed the truth with a satisfied smile, \'\'They were Achaemenidian spies sent to gather information but were meant to cross the other bridge.\'\'

The older man turned to Grishna, \'\'Show us what the Voidwalkers Harem can do,\'\' he said mockingly.

This angered the four women, as Artemis declared, \'\'The other adventurers are unnecessary. Unlike you, old man, we can take that bridge with no losses.\'\'

Rollo roared with laughter as he glanced at Grishna. "Why does she remind me of your mother, Zulgra?" he boomed.

Grishna\'s gaze shifted to Artemis, who was limbering up and drawing her sword with focused precision. Meanwhile, Estelle readied herself with her sword and shield, and Amethyst began to channel her cosmic magic, each preparing for the impending battle.

\'\'They are ma party, Uncle Rollo,\'\' she admitted with a smile. \'\'Even the blonde bitch whose judgemental but has calmed down.\'\'

The older man laughed before slapping her on the back, \'\'You sound like your mother, Vorga, just not as scary,\'\' he smiled as he replied.

Grishna gave him a dirty look, \'\'Wait for our signal before crossing, old man,\'\' she grinned at the human.

Following that, the four women approached the bridge entrance, guarded by the Oakenheart Dwarves. They were heavily armored and wielded powerful cannons to ward the Southmen back from their side of the Malduhr River.

On the other side of the bank, chaos reigned as a force of Southmen hunkered down while waiting for an attack. Amethyst could see their mana all over the fortress and spoke to the group, \'\'There are about three hundred soldiers in the fort; most are footsoldiers, with some commanders.\'\'

After the Phoenix girl spoke, they spotted the commander. When the dwarf saw them, he turned around with a cheerful smile. \'\'Four beautiful ladies to fight the Southmen; I wonder if old Rolloa has lost his marbles,\'\' he said in a happy tone.

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The other dwarves chuckled, but Grishna responded, \'\'The old man needs to be shown what real warriors are, so we offered to take the bridge.\'\'

"Just the four of ya? Are ya crazy, orc?" the dwarf commander said with worry.

Grishna and the other three waved them away before stepping on the blood-covered path that led to the bridge. As they passed, Estelle said, \'\'I will defend you three girls while attacking where I can. Amethyst, if you can get behind them and attack them from the rear, that would be perfect.\'\'

The phoenix girl nodded with a determined smile, \'\'Got it, Blondie.\'\'

Estelle bristled before turning to Artemis and Grishna, \'\'Fish; you attack with your sling before scaling the wall with the goblin.\'\'

Grishna threw something at the blonde knight, \'\'Shut up bitch; it\'s not the time for jokes,\'\' she snapped back with a smile, \'\'What happens to you once we\'re on the wall?\'\'

\'\'I will follow you up the wall once Little Bird clears the top,\'\' Estelle said with a determined smile.

Following that, the three women looked at Amethyst as Grishna commented, \'\'Kick things off, girl, cause an explosion to throw the soldiers off guard.\'\'

Amethyst nodded as Estelle prepared to defend her; Artemis took out her sling and readied explosive pellets. When the phoenix girl, the blonde knight, stepped in the open only to have a wave of spells and projectiles flying toward them.

Estelle cast Solar Shield, deflected many attacks, and sent them soaring back at the attackers just as Amethyst cast a dozen Cosmic Blasts at the Southmen. Purple mana blasts slice through the air and hit the walls with devastating impacts.

The bridge shook, but Estelle signaled for them to attack. Artemis stepped forward and fired off a dozen explosive pellets that peppered the survivors as Grishna threw several metal balls embued with Silver Shriek.

When the balls hit the Southmen, loud shrills ripped through the air, allowing the women to rush across the bridge. While running, Estelle shouted, \'\'Go, Little Bird!\'\'

Amethyst jumped up on the wall, summoning her wings, and dived off the bridge before soaring into the air. When she was high enough, she fired a dozen Cosmic Bullets at the Southmen, who were getting to their feet.

The projectiles pierced their bodies, giving the women a head start. Following that, a volley of arrows forced Amethyst to fly off, which caused the enemy to turn toward the other three and attack.

Estelle was in front and cast Solar Shield to block the attacks. Thousands of arrows and spells hit the bridge, but the blonde knight held firm as Artemis fired off several explosives while Grishna cast Earth Bolt and Razorwind Blades at the surviving soldiers.

As the three women below started climbing, Amethyst swooped over the Southmen, who went to attack by casting Cosmic Bullets and Stellar Arrows on top of them. Explosions rang out, but soon, she had to descend to the others as the counterattacks were coming too quickly for her to block or avoid.

A few attacks managed to get past her Cosmic Barrier; one of the arrows buried itself in her shoulder and exited through her back. Amethyst screamed in pain, but another hit her thigh and foot.

She managed to control her descent as she crashed down behind Estelle, who cast Healing Light on Amethyst after Grisha broke the arrows, allowing the blonde to pull them out before the wounds healed.

The four women climbed while Grishna cast Earth Bolts at the Southmen as Artemis sent several Aqua Bombs that hit the soldiers at the top. When the explosions erupted, some enemies were sent into the water below.

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