Chapter 333: Points for the Strong

Of the three races ahead, the Trolls were the strongest. That made their city the most attractive target.

A City could hold more troops than a Fortress, which meant more points. Its Barrier was also weaker. With a time limit hanging over every stage, most Lords would make the same choice.

A few minutes later, Cassian stood before rough blue-stone walls more than twenty meters high. Totems flashed across the masonry. This was a Troll Domain built along the City path.

"Rank XV for the first checkpoint. They aren’t easing us into this."

In a progression contest, winning one battle was only part of the task. Lords had to preserve enough strength for the next, and the one after that.

For the moment, Cassian had no such concern.

"Eclipse corps. Attack."

A horn sounded from the city. More than a thousand Troll warriors appeared along the walls, most Elite, a smaller number Rare. All were Level 80. Five Rare Heroes stood among them as a dark green Barrier rose over the Domain.

An ordinary Lord could have been proud of that force.

The Eclipse Legionnaires tore straight through it.

Wings of the Windlord spread behind the Epic Six-Stars. They broke the sound barrier as they accelerated, punched through the green shield, and descended into the city.

[Your troop Lianne has slain a Troll Warrior — Rare.]

[Battle Essence +80,000 | Labyrinth Points +8.]

[Loot: Hero Sigil — Rare ×1 | Spiked Mace ×1...]

More notices followed.

The Praetorians did not even need to intervene. More than a thousand Legionnaires with strength comparable to Legendary troops swept through the defenders. Blood ran down the streets as the Troll line collapsed.

Within a minute, almost nothing remained to oppose them.

The city shook. Walls and Buildings crumbled into a broad field of rubble, revealing three enormous passages beyond it.

[First checkpoint cleared. Labyrinth Points +10,000.]

[Find and destroy the second checkpoint within 24 hours. Failure will end this attempt and return you to the Human Hall.]

Cassian checked his total.

Twenty-two thousand three hundred and ten. Ten thousand for clearing the checkpoint, twelve thousand three hundred and ten from the kills.

"Not bad."

A third notice caught his attention.

[Relocate your Domain to the cleared checkpoint? Cost: 1,000,000 Labyrinth Points.]

Bringing the Domain forward would make resupply easier and put its Buildings’ bonuses within reach. He could not afford it yet, and he had no need of it.

Seven had already examined the passages.

"Left: a Panda fortress, twenty kilometers away. The middle passage is a dead end. Right: a Goblin fortress, thirty-five kilometers."

"Three more paths."

Cassian considered the shape of the map.

"If each checkpoint opens into three branches, then ignoring dead ends, there are three Domains in the first stage, nine in the second, twenty-seven in the third..."

One day per stage. Sooner or later, even he would be unable to clear every branch before the deadline.

The early stages were another matter.

"Rhea. Aurelia. Take your forces back to the first junction. Clear the Flowerfolk and Winged Folk Domains, then keep going into their second-stage branches."

He looked toward the Eclipse corps.

"The Kinetic Mechs and Flamecallers will go with Rhea."

The Eclipse Legionnaires were the weaker of the two forces. That extra control and firepower would serve them well.

Rhea and Aurelia exchanged a glance.

"Yes, Lord."

The army split into three. Cassian took Celia, Liora, and Sylvara onward with the Faerie Dragons, Crystal Maidens, and Stormlance.

A few minutes later, the Panda fortress fell with a deep rumble.

[Second checkpoint cleared. Labyrinth Points +20,000.]

[Find and destroy the third checkpoint within 24 hours. Failure will end this attempt and return you to the Human Hall.]

Two more reports arrived soon afterward.

[First-stage Flowerfolk Domain destroyed.]

[First-stage Winged Folk Domain destroyed.]

Rhea and Aurelia were making good time.

Clearing the other first-stage Domains did not award the checkpoint bonus again. The kills were still worth taking. His Labyrinth Points had reached seventy-eight thousand two hundred and fifty-nine.

Looking at the passages, Cassian had another idea.

"Liora, can you use Seven’s coordinates to Teleport straight to a checkpoint?"

"I’ll try."

She spoke briefly with Seven, then closed her eyes. Runes spread beneath her feet as she fixed upon the position.

A Teleport circle took shape.

"I can reach it, Lord. Five passengers."

Cassian smiled.

"Take two Crystal Maidens and three Faerie Dragons. Clear the Goblin fortress on the right."

Liora gathered the small strike force and vanished with them. Cassian turned toward the third stage.

A stream of messages sounded in the Homeworld Legion Channel. He opened it as Cloudstride carried him onward.

[We just cleared the first checkpoint. The Shatterstar Reach Lord leading our team wouldn’t let me attack a single monster!]

The speaker was from Western Beacon. Replies flooded in.

[It’s not just my team, then?]

[Ours won’t even let us clear the other two branches. He says we should preserve our strength.]

[So all we get is the checkpoint award? None of the points from kills?]

Comparing their experiences made the arrangement painfully clear.

[Nerissa Vaust: The bastards are taking every easy point for themselves. When we reach a checkpoint that’s actually difficult, they’ll send us in as cannon fodder. Our losses might buy them another stage. Perhaps two.]

Nessa was delighted to find her so angry.

[Nessa Fenwick: A later checkpoint could be worth a million points. Think how much your sacrifice will help Humanity as a whole!]

Nerissa’s expression darkened further.

Cassian had expected something like this.

Judged solely by Humanity’s final placement, the plan had its merits. Team members could keep one another from idling, and stronger leaders could carry weaker Lords farther than they would reach alone. The additional checkpoint awards might be worth almost as much as the lost hunting points.

The arrangement was considerably less pleasant for the Lords being carried.

They were denied the easy kills at the start, then expected to spend their troops when the battles became difficult. Their leaders took all the profitable early checkpoints and kept those same partners ready to absorb losses later.

No wonder they were angry.

Complaints spread beyond the Homeworld’s Channel into the Human Champions Channel. Ilyse soon appeared to reassure them.

[Ilyse Ardent: Fellow Champions from the middle and lesser Realms, this arrangement benefits us all. Even if sacrifices are needed later, they will be made for Humanity. Our race will remember your contribution.]