The team members swam past Gordon and Unas one by one, fleeing toward the Docks.
Now only the two of them remained. Three little red dots darted around them on the minimap. Skeletons and zombies couldn't move that quickly underwater; only Ghouls were that agile.
It reminded Unas of the earlier battle. The enemies and allies were the same, but the battlefield had shifted from the woods to the water. Gordon seemed to have thought of it too. They exchanged a smile, their fighting spirit surging.
Gordon was burdened with someone to carry and couldn't attack. Underwater, the flames he excelled at using were useless too, so he planned to let the enemy strike first.
The three Ghouls weren't in a hurry to attack, however. They could clearly sense that the enemies before them weren't like the panicked humans they had easily dragged into the water earlier. They were also waiting for more of their companions to catch up.
But this time, time was not on their side. During the brief standoff, the rafts Angela controlled finally arrived. The vanguard members who had escaped with their lives had already climbed aboard, while two empty rafts reached Gordon and Unas from behind, accompanied by underwater Sea Mines.
The rafts came to an abrupt stop beside them, while the Sea Mines continued forward, set to explode only when they struck the targets Angela had chosen.
The three Ghouls were swept aside by the currents stirred up by the Sea Mines. Gordon and Unas seized the chance to scramble onto the rafts. Before they had settled, another wave suddenly rose, propelling the rafts swiftly toward the Docks.
Watching the red dots disappear from the minimap one by one, Unas breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally out of danger.
Their rafts were the last to reach the Docks, where thunderous cheers greeted them, as though they were warriors returning in triumph rather than men coming back defeated after suffering losses.
Of course, the cheers were partly in admiration of their heroic courage in staying behind to cover the retreat, but most were for Archmage Angela. Surely no one would dare question her title now.
After offering a few words of comfort, Tyrosus sent them back to rest. Gordon led the vanguard back to camp, where everyone arrived soaked to the skin. Fortunately, several fires had already been prepared. The early autumn weather wasn't too cold yet, but falling into the water was still unpleasant.
Everyone took off their soaking wet gear and gathered in small groups around the fires in silence. No one felt like talking; the only sounds were an occasional cough and the crackle of burning wood.
Their escape from death had drained them. The underwater attack had claimed seven lives in just a few minutes, a devastating blow to the vanguard's morale.
Gordon sighed, helpless to do anything about it. He and Unas took a fire for themselves.
Gordon's body looked as though it had been carved from marble. His eight-pack abs resembled an ice cube tray; Unas had only ever seen the like on Brad Pitt in his younger days.
Scars of all sizes covered his body, and the terrifying black ring around his heart was proof of his battle with the Dreadlord. By comparison, Unas really did look like some noble family's young lady.
Unas looked around. Whitemane had disappeared somewhere, while Darian sat by a fire not far away, staring blankly into the flames, looking utterly distracted.
Before long, someone came to summon Gordon to a meeting. The Undead army that had appeared underwater was a thorny problem. Tyrosus was probably racking his brains over it and eager to discuss the next plan of attack. Gordon hastily threw on a cloak and followed the messenger away.
As Unas dried his clothes by the fire, he too wondered what they should do. Undead creatures didn't need to breathe and could stay underwater as long as they wanted. Although Undead such as Abominations, skeletons, and zombies moved more slowly underwater, they were on the defensive, and the water had become a barrier in front of them. Their own goal was to land on the island, and breaking through with nothing but crude rafts was simply impossible.
Although Archmage Angela was highly skilled at controlling Water Elementals, she couldn't take on an army alone. The enemy couldn't possibly have no mages of their own, and they would surely counter her.
No matter how he turned it over, Unas couldn't find a solution. The Undead underwater seemed to be in an unbeatable position.
By the time he had dried his pants and gotten fully dressed, Gordon had returned as well. Unas didn't know whether they had reached a decision.
"We'll still have to rely on the mages," Gordon said before Unas could ask.
As it turned out, the officers had argued back and forth at the meeting without coming up with a workable plan. In the end, they were counting on the mages to work a miracle. Angela had already sent a request for help to Du'an, the head of the Mage Academy. Given the speed of magical communication, they expected an answer soon. It also happened to be lunchtime, so the meeting had broken up.
Unas was gnawing on rations and chatting with Gordon on and off when the messenger came running over again. "Lord Du'an has arrived!"
Du'an had actually come in person. Gordon was quite surprised. Du'an had always been close to Abbendis, who often clashed with Tyrosus in the Council of Five, so Du'an had also been rather cool toward Tyrosus.
Tyrosus hadn't expected Du'an to teleport over in person, and he couldn't afford to slight him, so he immediately summoned his subordinates for another meeting. This time, Unas wanted to see for himself, so he went with Gordon, following the messenger to the temporary meeting hall in the little fishing village.
Entering the fisherman's large house, they saw Du'an standing calmly beside Tyrosus. He looked just as he had a couple of days ago, dressed in purple robes and sporting a comical horseshoe of hair around his bald head. Two mage guards, also dressed in purple robes, stood behind him. They appeared to have teleported over with him.
Once everyone had arrived, Tyrosus cleared his throat and, after a few polite words thanking Du'an for coming to their aid, got straight to the point. "I assume you already have a solution in mind, Headmaster Du'an. Please enlighten us rough men who know nothing but fighting on the battlefield."
"With Archmage Angela here, I wouldn't presume to enlighten anyone. I just heard about Archmage Angela's brilliant performance today, and I'm truly humbled."
The fellow turned to complimenting Angela instead. Unas wondered, Does Erigor have another rival in love already?
"Unfortunately, because of my own incompetence, I couldn't save the Warriors who fell into enemy hands." Angela looked downcast, taking no pleasure in Du'an's praise.
"How could that be your incompetence, Archmage? The enemy was simply too cunning," Du'an hurried to comfort her. His main reason for coming in person was to win the favor of the blonde beauty before him.
He had heard that Dalaran was being rebuilt and badly needed people. For Tyrosus to recruit an Archmage from Dalaran at a time like this, even a newly promoted one with little experience, was quite an accomplishment.
Becoming an Archmage was every mage's dream, but to obtain the title, one needed not only sufficient strength but also recommendations from at least three Archmages. Du'an believed his research into magic arrays was more than sufficient—the Holy Light Barrier was his invention—and all he lacked were a few letters of recommendation.
Du'an looked at the young female mage before him and thought of how, at his age, all he had earned was the unofficial title of "Arcane Mage." He couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy, but if he could gain Angela's approval, he would be one step closer to the title of Archmage.
Someone coughed softly, a reminder to get to the point. Du'an glanced displeasedly at Erigor—the one who had coughed—and finally revealed his solution. "A Freezing Array."
"You mean make a road of ice across the lake?" someone immediately asked.
"The island in the middle of the lake is over a thousand meters from the Docks, and the ice road would have to be thick enough for horses to run on. Is that possible?" someone questioned.
"We don't have to start from these Docks. They aren't the shortest distance to the center of the lake." The speaker was Pulhart, a Paladin over two meters tall and as sturdy as a tank. He pointed to a spot on the map. "A little farther south, the distance to the center is probably only five hundred meters."
Unas leaned in for a look. Sure enough, Lordamere Lake was oval-shaped, and the distance from its shores to the center varied greatly depending on the location.
Tyrosus looked questioningly at the two mages. "Can you make a five-hundred-meter ice road?"
Du'an was full of confidence. "Archmage Angela and I have already discussed it. There's no problem at all."
Angela also nodded to indicate that it could be done, but then she added, "According to our calculations, our mana may be exhausted after casting this spell, and we won't be able to take part in the battle afterward."
"Very well. All troops, prepare for battle!" Tyrosus pondered for a moment, then made the final decision.