Chapter 295 - An Army in this Dimension

'What the hell is that guy doing here?'

Rynold crouched down behind a hedge of bushes, trying hard not to get spotted. From there, he constantly stared at the opposing party, not letting his eyes off of them for even a second. Rynold didn't like the idea of them being here, and there was even an army of Soul Dolls, no less. No matter how Rynold saw it, he knew they were here for nothing peaceful.

It didn't take long for Rynold to think of their objective was. If Skeem had brought an army here, there wasn't any doubt they were going to use force. Rynold was able to deduce that much with just a simple look. And, Rynold also connected the dots, making him realize that their uninvited guests were going after the only thing of value in this dimension — the Nevermore.

'And the plot fucking thickens.'

Cursing underneath his breath, Rynold took his time watching. He stayed there, inconspicuously, to the encroaching army. Rynold didn't dare alert anyone just yet as he wanted to see how the situation panned out. It was risky, he admitted, but it was a lot better than jumping the gun.

So far, though, nothing much was happening. The portal was still open, though, as more and more Soul Dolls came through. Rynold didn't like that they were amassing in such a number, but he had no choice but to bear it for now. While this was happening, Skeem coordinated the Soul Dolls, ordering battalion after battalion to different directions. Luckily, there weren't any thrown Rynold's way just yet, but he figured it might come soon.

Before that could happen, though, something else took precedence. The appearance of the army was far from welcome from Rynold's perspective. They were a threat and not much of anything else. Fortunately, Rynold wasn't the only one who had felt that way. Because, in a few moments since their arrival, the creatures of the forest soon found their new prey.

Out of nowhere, the ground started to tremble. Rynold recognized the rhythmic shakes almost immediately, looking away from Skeem and towards the quake's source. He didn't want to stay there for too long as he knew all too well what was coming. While the intensity wasn't enough to throw Rynold to the ground, he still knew the threat wasn't something he wanted to see coming.

But then, Rynold wasn't able to get very far.

'Hellhounds? Again?' Rynold took a fighting stance as a pack of hellhounds blocked his way. They were more annoying than anything else, really, perfect for slowing someone down. Rynold didn't want to fight these damned things right now, not when causing a ruckus would give him away. If Rynold were to fight now, he'd only have more to worry about than a couple of hellhounds.

That said, Rynold had no other choice but to run. He side-stepped his way past the hellhounds and ran straight towards the castle. In doing so, Rynold managed to skimp on by the hellhounds and initiated a chase. Rynold didn't dare stop as he activated the communication rune with a thought. As he maneuvered through the forest, Rynold started talking.

"Hey, you there?" Rynold asked, testing the communication rune's prowess before giving the other details. His voice was notably exasperated, though, as Rynold had other things that kept him busy.

"Yes," the man answered, the raspy voice ringing in Rynold's ear, "Please, elaborate on the situation."

"Alright," Rynold said as he jumped past a rather precarious-looking pitfall, "It's not good, man. The person who made it here brought an army along with him. It's an army that doesn't need to eat, sleep, or anything. They're soulless, so they don't need anything mortals need to live. And, well, killing them ain't simple either. You're going to need to stop them from moving the undignified way. Chopping off their limbs or cutting their heads clean off. It's either that or wait until they run out of juice. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the summary."

"I understand," he responded as if he was also preoccupied with something else, "What of its commander? Surely an army of this caliber would need some coordination and command."

"Right, about that," Rynold clicked his tongue as one of the hellhounds managed to nick him, "The guy's a real ass. I've met him before. I mean, I've never really had the chance to fight him, but his personality alone is not something you can take lightly. He's dangerous, conniving. Whatever you do, don't trust a word he says. That's about all I can tell you about the guy."

"I don't suppose you have witnessed his power in display? His characteristics as a warrior would provide some assistance in the preparations I am making."

"Well," Rynold answered while throwing a kick at one of the hellhounds that jumped him, "I wouldn't say that I saw how he fights. But if it helps, I saw something else he did. He's got spells that can corrupt people. As far as I can tell, it's dark magic. He doesn't seem like the type of guy to get his hands dirty. If he does, though, it's not going to be easy. He's probably a Tier 4, maybe Tier 5 at best. Although, the most dangerous part about all that is the fact that he's well-read."

"..."

After Rynold gave his two cents, the man fell silent. Rynold couldn't tell what was happening on his end, and Rynold was a bit busy to find out. Whatever it was, Rynold was sure that he had his reasons.

"Listen," Rynold added as he stopped running and turned around to face his pursuers, "I'm on my way back. Wait for me a little bit, and we can decide how to move forward from there. The army's busy with the creatures of the forest, anyway. So, there's no rush."

Just like that, Rynold cut communications and extended his Mana Gauntlets to Strength-form. From there, he grabbed the hellhound that pounced on him with his hands. After which, Rynold gave the hellhound a tight squeeze.

A crack soon followed by blood splurging from the hellhound. Rynold squeezed until the hellhound died, dropping its corpse on the ground as it slowly turned to dust. Funnily enough, it looked savage and menacing from a third party. However, Rynold was only able to do that because of the level difference between the hellhound and himself.

Nonetheless, Rynold didn't have time to bask in the glory and focused on the other hellhounds before him. There were three left, hardly a challenge. Rynold didn't hesitate whatsoever and started his attack. Starting with a shot using [True Caliber], Rynold managed to kill the rest without breaking a sweat. Following this, Rynold gathered up the loot and left for the castle once more.

Without stopping, Rynold soon made his way back to the castle. He only stopped a few feet from the walls, realizing that he wasn't alone. He looked to the side where sounds of a battle emanated. Rynold didn't take a breath and decided to investigate what was going on there.

'The hell?'

Rynold didn't make the mistake of exposing himself, but he saw something he didn't expect to see. He peered from the corner, watching as a group of Soul Dolls fire shot after shot of long-ranged spells. While it would take a lot more than pathetic attacks to break through the defense runes, Rynold didn't like the idea of the Soul Dolls being there.

It was a sign of trouble. Very bad, near impending trouble. Of which, Rynold did the first thing that popped into his head.

"Hey," Rynold spoke in a whisper as he activated the rune, "Something's attacking the walls. A small group of them. I can take care of them, but I'm sure more will be on the way."

"If you would be so kind," the man answered, his voice in a hurry, "I will be there shortly."

This time around, the man cut the communications instead of Rynold. He didn't know what the guy was doing, but it had better be something that could turn the tides in their favor.

Regardless, Rynold charged in with his weapons at the ready. Without fear, without doubt, Rynold started rampaging his way through the Soul Dolls. To which, the creatures turned their attention to Rynold, attacking him instead of the wall. Rynold, of course, didn't back down. And, soon enough, an all-out brawl took place.

As Rynold quickly made his approach, a fireball was well on its way to hitting him. Rynold, unfortunately, wasn't able to make his way out in time and instead took the shot. And, even though [Protecting Light] was up, he still felt the singe from the blast.

'Is it just me, or are they stronger than before?'

And, while distracted, another fireball managed to land on him. Rynold, thrown back a few steps, immediately realized how much more troubling this meant. Whatever the case, Rynold had to take this seriously.